Karnataka health department switches to mobile attendance from July 1 in hospitals, offices

Karnataka will adopt mobile-based attendance in hospitals starting July 1 due to biometric issues. Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao also announced a salary hike for new NHM doctors and nurses to fill large staffing gaps.

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Health Department has announced that mobile-based attendance will be mandatory from July 1 across all its offices and hospitals. This shift comes in response to frequent hardware and network issues associated with the existing biometric attendance system.

Mobile attendance to replace biometric systems 

According to the department’s order, the current biometric devices demand regular maintenance, repairs, and replacements, resulting in unnecessary expenditure. In contrast, mobile-based systems eliminate the need for physical hardware, thus reducing maintenance costs.

Additionally, biometric systems are location-specific, creating problems for field staff and employees posted in remote areas. To resolve these issues, the government has proposed the implementation of the Karnataka Attendance Management System (KAMS) in all 12,000 health institutions across the state as part of the 2025-26 budget.

Minister urges compliance 

Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao took to X (formerly Twitter) to emphasise that the system's implementation is mandatory from July 1, requesting cooperation from all health officials and employees.

NHM salary hike for new recruits

In another major announcement, Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao revealed a salary revision for new recruits under the National Health Mission (NHM). At a press conference, he disclosed vacancies in the sanctioned NHM posts:

• 305 out of 899 specialist doctor positions are vacant
• 579 out of 1,398 MBBS doctor positions are unfilled
• 936 out of 9,041 nurse positions remain vacant

Revised salaries to attract medical professionals 

To attract talent, the revised pay structure is as follows:

• Specialist doctors: Increased from ₹1.10–1.30 lakh to ₹1.40 lakh
• MBBS doctors: Raised from ₹46,895–50,000 to ₹60,000
• Nurses: Revised from ₹14,186–18,774 to ₹22,000

Additionally, experienced specialists will receive a 2.5% annual increment.