Guwahati: The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) has urged the Centre to address its long-standing concerns over recruitment at the Northeastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) within a month. Union Health and Family Welfare Minister JP Nadda have reportedly assured a delegation that a committee would be formed to examine the issues raised.
A KSU delegation met Nadda in New Delhi on Saturday in the presence of Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma. Earlier this week, Sangma had assured the union that he would facilitate a meeting with the concerned central authorities to discuss its demands.
Speaking after the meeting, KSU general secretary Reuben Najiar said the delegation had submitted nine major concerns, covering alleged discrimination against local applicants, reservation provisions and the union’s demand for an 80:20 female-to-male ratio in the recruitment of nursing officers.
Najiar said the recruitment process had remained on hold for the past 17 months, affecting healthcare services at the institute. He added that Nadda had assured the delegation that a committee would examine the demands and that efforts would be made to resolve the matter within a month.
According to Najiar, recruitment would not move forward until the concerns raised by the union had been examined and addressed.
Explaining the proposed 80:20 ratio, he said NEIGRIHMS should adopt a recruitment model similar to that followed by AIIMS and other leading medical institutions, where 80 per cent of nursing officer positions are allocated to women and 20 per cent to men.
He said the demand was based on concerns over what the union described as a growing gender imbalance in the institute’s nursing workforce, as well as the need for adequate female staff in sensitive patient-care areas.
Referring to the previous recruitment conducted through the Nursing Officer Recruitment Common Eligibility Test (NORCET), Najiar claimed that nearly 90 per cent of those selected were men from outside Meghalaya. He said only five or six candidates from the state had been selected, compared to more than 200 candidates from outside.
The union also objected to the reduction of the upper age limit for nursing officer recruitment from 30 to 27 years. Najiar argued that the change could disadvantage candidates who had spent years preparing for recruitment opportunities at the institute.
On reservation, the KSU said the existing Central government quotas of 27 per cent for Other Backward Classes (OBCs), 15 per cent for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and 7.5 per cent for Scheduled Tribes (STs) did not adequately address the employment concerns of Meghalaya’s indigenous communities.
Najiar pointed out that Meghalaya does not have an OBC list and that the state’s SC population accounts for less than one per cent. He said these factors placed qualified local applicants at a disadvantage when competing for Group B and Group C posts.
The union has urged the Centre to consider extending greater reservation benefits to indigenous tribal communities to improve their representation in the institute.
Another key demand is that NEIGRIHMS be granted Institute of National Importance status. The KSU argued that the institute caters to thousands of patients from Meghalaya and other Northeastern states and should receive greater institutional recognition and support.
Najiar also raised concerns over alleged misconduct by nursing officers, referring to a recent case involving the alleged molestation of a 15-year-old indigenous girl by a nursing officer. He questioned the institute’s response and expressed concern that the accused reportedly continued to work there despite an FIR having been registered.
On the state government’s role, Najiar said the Meghalaya government also had a responsibility to pursue the demands, as the state’s Health Department Secretary is a member of the NEIGRIHMS Governing Council.
He recalled that the KSU had launched an indefinite strike at the institute from May 1 to 5 last year. The protest was temporarily withdrawn after the state government assured the union that it would take up the demands with the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Najiar said the state government should now follow up on those assurances and ensure that the concerns are taken up through the institute’s Governing Council.
The delegation also included KSU Central Executive Council president Raymond Kharjana, assistant general secretary Pynshaiborlang Rani and assistant finance secretary Hopefullborn L Mawnai.
The union expressed hope that the proposed committee and the minister’s intervention would lead to a time-bound resolution, allowing the stalled recruitment process to move forward.