MAWKYRWAT, June 11: The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) of South West Khasi Hills has fiercely criticised the Health department after uncovering, through a Right to Information (RTI) request, that 112 positions in various hospitals and sub-centres were filled without advertisement or interviews.
KSU District President Forwardman Nongrem revealed to the media that documents obtained from the Directorate of Health Services (DHS) in Shillong and the office of the District Medical and Health Officer (DM&HO) indicated significant irregularities in staff recruitment. The Civil Hospital Mawkyrwat, in particular, was noted for its high number of such appointments.
“The documents revealed that there were 54 casual worker appointments in various health centres and the DM&HO office, with 49 of these positions in Civil Hospital Mawkyrwat alone. These appointments were made without advertisement or interviews,” Nongrem stated. He highlighted concerns over the Meghalaya Regular Casual Workers Scheme of 1996, which grants regular status to casual workers after ten years, potentially filling 50% of Level-1 or Grade-D vacancies with these workers. The KSU argues this process unfairly excludes educated youth from applying for these posts.
Additionally, Nongrem pointed out that 51 positions were filled with officiating staff, and seven non-sanctioned posts were appointed without adherence to proper recruitment norms. This practice was not limited to Mawkyrwat CHC but also occurred in Ranikor CHC and other Primary Health Centres (PHCs) in the district.
“If a post can be filled with officiating staff, it indicates it is a sanctioned post. Therefore, the Health department should have advertised these positions for permanent appointments,” Nongrem asserted. He condemned the backdoor appointments, suggesting they may benefit politicians or officers and promised the KSU would escalate this issue to higher authorities.
The KSU has demanded of the Health department to publicly explain these alleged anomalies, cancel all improperly filled appointments, and ensure future recruitment follows proper procedures.
