Lt. Gen. (r) Nigar Johar Orders Strict Attendance Monitoring for Doctors

A meeting of the Independent Monitoring Unit (IMU) was held under the chairmanship of Lt Gen (r) Nigar Johar, a member of the Advisory Council for Health, to review the performance of healthcare facilities and strengthen staff attendance monitoring and accountability in the health sector. Participants reaffirmed their commitment to promoting discipline, transparency and accountability, with the objective of ensuring timely and better-quality medical treatment for the public. Addressing the meeting, Nigar Johar stressed that all staff posted at government hospitals and health centres must ensure regular attendance and fulfil their professional responsibilities diligently. She said the provision of quality healthcare depended on staff being present and performing their duties on time, adding that unauthorised absence would not be tolerated. Particular attention was given to healthcare facilities in underdeveloped and rural areas, where limited access to medical services often forces residents to travel to urban centres for treatment. Johar directed that a minimum staff attendance rate of 95 per cent be made mandatory at healthcare facilities in these areas to improve service delivery. She also called for a formal mechanism to ensure accurate, transparent and reliable monitoring of staff attendance, directing that attendance records from all healthcare facilities, including District Headquarters and Tehsil Headquarters hospitals and basic health units, be linked to the Independent Monitoring Unit. Centralised monitoring would strengthen accountability, help identify cases of absenteeism, and enable authorities to take timely action against those found neglecting their duties.