HYC blames ‘govt inaction’ for ruckus at NEIGRIHMS

SHILLONG, April 15: The Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) on Tuesday said it would not have entered the office of NEIGRIHMS Director Prof Nalin Mehta if the state government had taken proactive steps to address concerns surrounding the ongoing recruitment process at the institute.
HYC president Roy Kupar Synrem told reporters that the organisation was compelled to act because Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma failed to raise the matter with the relevant central institutions located within Meghalaya.
Alleging that the state government neglected its responsibility, Synrem said it was only after the HYC had staged a protest in front of the NEIGRIHMS Director’s Administrative Block that Sangma responded, stating that the law would take its own course and action would be taken against the HYC.
The HYC met with Rajya Sabha member Wanwei Roy Kharlukhi to discuss the ongoing recruitment at NEIGRIHMS.
The HYC president said they have already reached out to Shillong and Tura Lok Sabha members—Ricky AJ Syngkon and Saleng A Sangma respectively—stating that the MPs were elected to represent the voice of the people of the state in Delhi.
Additionally, Synrem said, the HYC has written to the Ministry of Health, urging it to approve NEIGRIHMS’ adoption of an 80:20 female-to-male recruitment ratio, similar to the one implemented in AIIMS, New Delhi and other institutes under the Ministry.
Kharlukhi assured the HYC that he would take up the issue with the Ministry in coordination with the two Lok Sabha members.
Replying to a query, Synrem said the NEIGRIHMS Director had indeed written to the Ministry of Health last year about an 80:20 female-to-male recruitment ratio.
He said the Ministry had only stated that the institute may be advised not to implement an 80:20 ratio.
“But NEIGRIHMS did not put pressure on the Ministry of Health for the implementation of the 80:20 ratio,” Synrem said.
According to him, all three MPs from the state will write to the Ministry to put on hold the nursing recruitment till all issues are resolved. The main issue is the recruitment policy of NEIGRIHMS.