Mokokchung, 30 July (MTNews): The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) Public Grievances Cell has reminded the Nagaland state government to stop “playing with human lives” and demanded immediate deployment of medical staff in accordance with the P&AR (Personnel & Administrative Reforms) rules.
According to the NPCC Public Grievances Cell, on 23 June 2020, 186 posts were created including 15 Specialist positions, 44 Medical Officers, 11 Ayush Medical Officers, 3 Dental Surgeons, 6 Research Scientists, 78 staff nurses, 6 lab technicians, 10 ECG technicians, and 13 OT technicians.
It said that the Department of Health and Family Welfare (DHFW) Nagaland later advertised 195 vacancies through order No. HWF(A) COVID-19/ APPT 13/17/2020, stating that these appointments would be temporary until filled through the Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC).
However, it claimed that the department again came up with a special recruitment drive on 2 November 2022 for 329 posts through the approval of the cabinet-vide No. CAB/2013, dated 26 June 2022, where 175 marks out of 487.5 were to be awarded to those employees who were working on contracts. This, it said, “deprived the other aspirants from free and fair examination/ bypassing the rules laid down by P&AR rules, common for any department under the government of Nagaland.”
The NPCC Grievances Cell said that they have come across press statements made by some aggrieved student associations like Combined Technical Associations of Nagaland (CTAN) going against the special recruitment drive and also “aggrieved aspirants of Doctors from Dental and Ayush branch has filed a court case against the special recruitment drive.”
“In conversation with petitioners of Doctors, it has been learned that they are ever ready to withdraw the court case if the department go as per the P&AR rule and nullify the special recruitment drive order dated 2 November 2022, which clearly resembles a sign of favoritism and nepotism,” it said.
The NPCC Public Grievances Cell has emphasized the urgency of the situation, urging the government of Nagaland to address the issue promptly and not compromise the lives and health of Naga citizens. The cell has threatened to take its own course of action if the government failed to comply with their demands.
In addition to its demands, the NPCC Public Grievances Cell has appealed to all right-thinking organizations to support their cause. It highlighted the critical shortage of doctors in nearly every CHC (Community Health Center), PHC (Primary Health Center), and District Hospital, posing a constant risk to the lives of people in rural areas.