SHILLONG: NPP legislator James K Sangma on Tuesday questioned the State Government policy for asking the bonded Auxiliary Nurse Midwifery (ANMs) to appear for both the written test and the personal interview for recruitment to the various vacant post for nurses.
“The State Government decision is in clear violation of the service rules of the nurses in the State,” Sangma said while moving a motion on the style and functioning of the Health department in the State.
Terming the move as an act of discrimination against the bonded ANMs, Sangma said that the State Government should not compare bonded ANMs with non-bonded ANMs.
“The bonded ANMs pass through a selection process before they get into the nursing courses. The non-bonded ANMs have not gone through this process,” the NPP legislator stated.
Sangma also said that the Government is contradicting its own policy by sponsoring candidates on one hand while leaving others in the lurch.
He also recalled that while filling up the vacancies for 360 posts of General Nursing & Midwifery (GNMs) in various district hospitals and health care centres in the State, the department had exempted the bonded candidates from appearing the written test.
“I would like to know why the same yardstick was not applied in the case of bonded ANMs,” Sangma questioned.
Pointing out that not a single ANM candidate had been absorbed by the Government since 2008 Sangma said that if the Government continued to overlook the candidates, it would be wise to do away with the policy of sponsoring candidates since it was a wasteful expenditure.
In reply, Health and Family Welfare Minister A.L. Hek said that the department had taken the decision of asking the bonded ANMs to appear for both the written test and personal interview as per Rule 7 of the nurses’ service rules and to ensure transparency in the recruitment process.
He also claimed that the department had adopted the same yardstick during the process of recruitment of 360 GNMs.
