Filling up of 180 posts of non-bonded GNM nurses
SHILLONG: The non-bonded GNM nurses have issued a two-week deadline to the State Government to announce the merit list of candidates selected for the 180 vacant posts.
The GNM nurses adopted the resolution during their meeting in the city on Monday.
“We have issued a two-week deadline after learning of state government’s intention to conduct a fresh examination for the various vacant posts,” the non-bonded nurses said after the meeting.
The nurses stated that a fresh examination would be an injustice to them since the written test and personal interview to fill up the various posts had already been conducted last year.
Mentioning that the Health and Family Welfare department had announced the result of the written test within a span of a few weeks, the nurses suspected “that there was something fishy” since the department has withheld the result of the personal interview for nearly a year now.
The personal interview was held on August 29 and 30 last year and attended by over 400 non-bonded nurses.
“We would seek justice from the higher authority if the State Government fails to announce the result within the stipulated deadline,” the nurses said.
They also expressed surprise at Health and Family Welfare Minister AL Hek’s statement that the department was contemplating fresh examination since an RTI had been filed against him accusing him of showing favoritism towards certain candidates.
“There is no justification in holding a fresh examination just because an RTI has been filed against the Minister,” the nurses said.
Meanwhile, the Meghalaya Government Nurses’ Service Association has also questioned the intention of the Government to hold a fresh examination.
“We are of the view that the selected list of candidates should be declared at the earliest,” the Association said.
Informing that there is a huge shortage of nurses in various Government health centres the Association said that the delay in filling up of the vacancies has added to the work load of the existing nurses.
While asserting that the nursing profession falls under essential services, the Association said that the Government cannot delay the announcement of the result.
The nurses’ body also stated that the department does not have faith in its own selection committee since it was planning to hold a fresh examination.