NAGPUR: The Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) has strongly opposed the proposal of the Government Medical Colleges (GMCs) to start biometric attendance system for the resident doctors.The association has written letters of objection to the Medical Council of India (MCI) and the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER).Dr Parag Narkhede, the general secretary of central MARD told TOI that the association has written to both MCI and DMER opposing this move of the GMCs. “GMCs are forcing resident doctors to follow the newly-introduced biometric attendance system in the name of MCI. But truth is that MCI notification, dated January 31, 2017, has asked the teaching faculty at the GMCs to register for the biometric system and there is no mention of resident doctors in the notification. MCI has taken this step to keep a tab on the bogus candidates that are shown as staff during the MCI inspections,” said Dr Narkhede.The letter says that the central MARD would like to point out that the heavy hours of duty pulled off by the resident doctors is far more than that specified by the central residency scheme (CRS). A resident doctor has to slog for 36 hours at a stretch. It is highly impossible for the resident residents to punch with the biometric system days together. The letter also requests the MCI and the DMER not to force the residents to register and punch daily attendance for the MCI database.At local level the president of MARD at the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) Dr Dinesh Sharma has also submitted a letter to the dean Dr A Niswade. “If they want us to punch our attendance they should also follow all the rules of the CRS and the orders of the Supreme Court for the resident doctors,” said Dr Sharma.