Editor,
While every citizen has the right to work, there are limits to people expanding their area of work. In Meghalaya, there are private and government doctors. Private doctors practice only in their private clinics. But this is not the case with government doctors as they practice in government hospitals as well as in their private clinics which is patently unfair. Hence government doctors get more opportunities than private doctors. Government doctors enjoy good salaries regularly whereas private practitioners have erratic earnings depending on the number of patients they get. Government doctors have to spend their time regularly in hospitals, PHCs, CHCs, etc, according to their duties. If they diligently work only in the hospitals, they will not have time for private practice. Also they can gain more experience in their field of work.
In the case of private practitioners, there are some who practice in private hospitals but they are not different from private doctors working in their own clinics. As time passes, obstacles
and difficulties arise in different parts of the state especially in medical and health care because government doctors are not attending to their duties .According to the vision of the Commucratic People’s Party (CPP), it is felt that government doctors should work only in government hospitals. This is important as it will bring consistency in the health care system and those who are ailing will be well served. On this matter, the CPP would like to suggest to the government that doctors employed by it should stop private practice. They should be paid a decent salary and non-practising allowance to enable them to enjoy a decent life. The CPP further urges the government to implement these rules in order to ensure justice and equity.
Yours etc.,
Dr. WA Lyngwi
Convener,
CPP
Pyndengnongbri
Unprofessional recruitment in PHE
Editor,
We would like to bring to light the unprofessional practices in the current recruitment methods And draw your attention to a recent “walk-in” interview conducted by the PHE Department,Shillong on June 30, 2020. We wish to highlight the lack of orderliness, professionalism and most importantly the lack of ethics with which the interview was conducted. With the rising number of graduates each year, it is expected that any job opening advertised, will attract a significant number of candidates. And, despite on-going restrictions related to COVID-19, that is exactly what occurred during the above-mentioned interview held by the PHE Department.The following points highlight some of the unfair practices adopted by the interviewers.
As the number of candidates increased to around 85, some of us were asked by the employees of PHE to stand in for many other candidates who were yet to arrive. They also told us not to attend the interview, as there were too many applicants already. Firstly, this was not officially communicated to us. Secondly, the number of attendees could have been specified when advertising for the post so that individuals do not waste their time unnecessarily.
Later they decided to conduct a screening process and rejected applicants who did not have the required qualifications. This is, of course, the right of any organization. However the screening was only enforced halfway through the registration of candidates, (after a 3-hour wait in a queue) where some candidates were allowed to go through, irrespective of their qualifications. This speaks of the unfair and disorganized nature of the interview.
On account of the large number of candidates that did arrive, officials from the Department asked participants to return the next day stating that they wanted to conduct proper interviews so that justice is done. We accordingly complied with this. But the next day of the interview came with it its own sets of problems. Some of us waited till the end of the day, and were finally called for the interview only to be turned away summarily one by one, on grounds that they were not looking for someone with our qualifications i.e., MBA, which was shocking and confusing since the advertisement clearly called for MBA, among other qualifications. In fact, other candidates with MBA degrees, who happened to have been called earlier to us were interviewed without any mention of ineligibility. How fair is this?
If we weren’t deemed eligible for the interview, why couldn’t we have been told about it on the first day itself, when they conducted the “screening process”? We wasted two full days only to be rejected by a whimsical and unethical change to the qualification criterion.
The fact that this is the standard that we have to bear with is demoralizing and discouraging. We took time off from our work and engagements just to appear for the interview only to be dismissed in a very causal manner.
All we ask for is clarity, order and transparency from the very beginning of any recruitment process. Why is this so difficult in Meghalaya? As for the reasons why all this happened the public can come to their own conclusions.
Yours etc.,
Name withheld on request,
Via email
Contaminated fish sold in entire Shillong area.
Editor,
Through your esteemed daily, I would like to bring forward an astonishing fact regarding fish, a favourite local delicacy and one of the most profitable businesses in Meghalaya. Recently, I conducted a two minute survey of fish coming from Andhra Pradesh and found that it contained high quantities of formalin as the fish turned dark bluish and green in
colour. I purchased the testing kit (HiRapid Formalin Test Kit for Fish K137) from Hyderabad which clearly mentions the method of routine check and protocols. I can confirm that the fish contained formalin which is dangerous for consumption. Meghalaya should immediately ban the import and sale of such fish keeping in view the safety and security of people particularly, at the time of COVID-19.
I call upon the big players in the fish market to voice their opinions, especially Mitchell Wankhar, the President of Fish Vendors’ Association in Shillong and also urge upon the State Government to direct the Health officials to conduct an enquiry as soon as possible.
Yours etc.,
Sanbor Lyngdoh
Shillong-3