Union Health Minister halts NEIGRIHMS hiring pending policy review

Union Health Minister J P Nadda has announced that recruitment at the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) will be suspended until a committee reviews the institute’s policies. The decision follows a meeting between Nadda, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, and the Khasi Students Union (KSU).

The KSU has raised several grievances regarding administrative functioning and recruitment practices. A primary concern involves the recruitment of nursing officers, specifically the absence of an 80:20 female-to-male ratio. The union noted that in the 2023 recruitment via the Nursing Officer Recruitment Common Eligibility Test (NORCET), 175 male nurses were selected out of 194 posts, compared to only 19 female nurses. The KSU argued that a higher proportion of female staff is necessary for departments such as obstetrics, gynaecology, and paediatrics.

Additional demands from the KSU include restoring upper age limits for recruitment, removing specific hospital bed-size requirements for experience, and reviewing reservation provisions to protect indigenous tribal youth. The union also accused the administration of failing to take sufficient action regarding allegations of molestation involving certain staff members.