By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, March 24: The Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) has raised an alleged violation of the state’s reservation policy while flagging the disregard for local representation in a NEIGRIHMS recruitment advertisement issued by the institute on January 22. The HYC on Monday set a seven-day deadline for NEIGRIHMS to issue a corrigendum regarding the recruitment advertisement, while threatening to agitate if the issue is not addressed.
As NEIGRIHMS Director Prof. Nalin Mehta was out of station, HYC members met the institute’s deputy director and other officials.
In a letter addressed to the NEIGRIHMS director, HYC president Roy Kupar Synrem stated that the advertisement violates the Scheduled Tribe (ST) reservation policy. Out of 107 vacancies for Nursing Officer posts, only two seats have been allocated to ST candidates, whereas the mandated 7.5% reservation requires at least eight seats.
Synrem warned that if the institute fails to address their concerns within the given deadline, the HYC would have no option but to organise a public protest against what he called a deliberate and wilful attempt to ignore their rightful demands.
He also pointed out that the recruitment process failed to adhere to the 80:20 female-to-male ratio, leading to a disproportionate selection of male candidates from outside the state. He reminded officials that a similar issue had been raised during the previous recruitment process, where a majority of male nurses were appointed. This, he claimed, has affected both the administration and the sentiments of local patients seeking medical assistance at the institute.
According to him, local candidates are struggling to secure jobs, while most vacancies are being filled by candidates from outside the state. He said this appears to be an attempt by NEIGRIHMS to deny job opportunities to local youths and job seekers.
Questioning the repeated selection of male nurses from Rajasthan, Synrem alleged that male nurses from the same centres in Rajasthan have consistently been selected across all categories — except for the ST category — despite reports of poor clinical performance.
He further claimed that staff and patients had raised multiple complaints about the subpar performance of these nurses, but the authorities failed to address these concerns. He said the high number of healthcare workers from outside the state has led to communication gaps between staff and patients, compromising patient care and safety. He also warned that recruiting an excessive number of male nurses could create an unsafe environment for female staff and patients, raising serious concerns about women’s safety within the institution.
Taking up the issue of recruitment delays, Synrem stated that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no recruitments were conducted for two years. As a result, he urged the institute to grant age relaxation to candidates who lost two years of eligibility due to the pandemic. He further emphasised the need for recruitment examinations to be conducted within Meghalaya to ensure fairness and transparency. Additionally, he called for a thorough review of the recruitment agency to prevent bias or unfair practices in the selection process.
Synrem demanded that the vacancy list be revised to allocate 7.5% (eight seats) for ST candidates, as mandated by law. He also insisted on strict adherence to the 80:20 female-to-male ratio, as practiced by AIIMS and other institutions. He reiterated that age relaxation should be provided to candidates in light of the recruitment delays.