DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 10 (MExN): The Nagaland Medical Students’ Association (NMSA) has expressed shock and dismay over the recent notification issued by the Department of Health and Family Welfare on November 2 regarding the special recruitment drive for the forthcoming NPSC written and viva exams.
The notification was for the posts of 96 Medical Officers, 41 Junior Specialists, 21 Ayush Doctors and 5 Dental Surgeons.
A press release from the NMSA expressed concern at the policy changes in alignment with the regularized medical officer recruitment process. It said that the criteria set by the department for the special recruitment drive is “unjust.”
It said that special preferences and incentives have been rewarded for the officers/staff serving on contract/engagement basis under NHM, NSACS, NHAK and state who have served the health care system during the pandemic, with special relaxation of upper age limit up to 45 years against 35 years set for NPSC, with allocation of 25% ( i.e. 125 marks) for COVID MO +10%(i.e. 50 marks) for work experience.
“While the association has always, time and again vouched for an equal free and fair opportunity for every medical graduate in the recruitment of regular government Medical Officers through NPSC written and viva exams, the association in any way does not see an equal and a just system in the recruitment drive as per the notification issued,” it added.
The NMSA pointed out that in this modern day and age it has become very competitive with already saturated number of unemployed educated youth vying and waiting for every opportunity to succeed and with students’ career and life decided even on a single mark.
Under these circumstances, the association was surprised to see how the government would allocate 25% of marks for COVID MOs and 10 % for work experience; a total of 175 marks out of 487.5 marks for all the COVID Medical Officers and contract MOs. “To favor some group of people and deprive other students the very opportunity they have been competing for is in itself a mortification to the value-based education,” it said.
It questioned on what basis will this NPSC exam be a competitive exam when those candidates (COVID MOs) get 125 marks plus additional 50 marks for work experience even before appearing exam. “Even when our counterparts in the case of Manipur state would only award 10 additional marks (5% of total written marks) to those COVID MOs, while the matter is still under scrutiny at the court,” it informed.
The NMSA appealed to the Nagaland Government to advocate the same for Nagaland State as “even 1 mark can decide the candidates’ career.” “When the number of Medical Officers recruited through NPSC written and viva exams approximately stands at 91 seats in 11 years from a period of 2011-2021, if the government goes to accommodate all 142 seats of MOs to those who have completed 100 days of COVID duty and other contract MOs through biased means, the medical graduates and students won’t get to sit for an NPSC exam for at least 10-15 years,” it said.
The association held that this special recruitment drive not only discourages the students but jeopardizes the junior doctors to go for further studies and kills the competitive spirit which in the long run will highly compromise the already deplorable and pitiable condition of our state health care system.
While acknowledging the work of Medical Officers and the COVID contract recruited Medical Officers in tackling the pandemic, the association said that the special recruitment drive in no way justifies the deprivation of medical graduates and students of their opportunity and vision. It appealed to the concerned authority to advocate inclusive educational approach by considering the hopes and future of young students and graduates waiting for an opportunity to qualify by merit through NPSC written and viva exams.
It further urged the concerned authority to immediately review its decision and issue fresh order in accordance with NPSC rules, to give equal free and fair opportunity to all the budding doctors. The NMSA meanwhile denounced what it termed as the “blatant partisanship prevailing in the medical system” and appealed for the support of all right-thinking citizens, public organizations and NGOs to “prevent dilution of our health care system by giving fair and unbiased opportunity to all aspirants through a fair recruitment process through advertised NPSC written and viva exams.”
