Tali Longkumer (IAS Rtd)
Kohima
The world is presently waging a war against a Pandemic that is even ravaging our land today. Side by side with this war for survival, we notice another kind of war being fought between the Medical Department of the State Government, the legitimate guardian for the safety of its citizens against this Pandemic visa-vis the Doctors and the Nurses of the Medical Department of the State.
Squatting comfortably at home under the dictates of lockdown, I will not be in an appropriate position to exactly identify the actual cause that presently has snowballed into a crisis of concern in the Medical Department where NEAN comprising of around 150 Doctors and 700 nurses across the State of Nagaland have resorted into indefinite cease work alternatively. Inauspiciously, it is taking place when the services of Doctors and Nurses are invariably required in fighting the Pandemic that is ravaging our land today. I presume, there must have been some visible cognizable irregularities or overlapping committed by some individuals with personal motives at some levels along the lines that has ultimately crush landed the department in the present imbroglio.
The said Department that stands at the forefront combating against the Pandemic is expected to mobilize all the resources at its command to effectively deal with this serious Pandemic that is in the process of devouring many lives. But we rather have a situation today of different kind to our misfortune, where the rescue team of Doctors and Nurses are made to confront the Government in a battle where it is alleged that the Government is flaunting all Departmental service rules in the matter of appointment or regularizations of service personals to individual whims and fancies.
The writer is neither in support of the Government nor the agitated Medical Fraternity in the instant issue. But acknowledging the need and the urgency of the situation prevalent in the Department at present there appears a tire need in sorting out other issue of conflicts between the Department and the Medical Fraternity most urgently. A mere issue of notifications or orders from the Department to the agitated Doctors to raise up to the occasion to work nor the aggrieved groups submitting Memorandums to the Government for suitable response may not settle the problems that is presently exposing the very delicate health issues of its citizens to a crisis situation. In such a State of affairs in the Department, the public and well wishers expects the personal involvement of all concerned in sorting out the vexing issues amicably and promptly by joining hands rather than by brandishing fists or muscles against each other.
It may be added here that the Service Rules that are duly framed and legislated are meant to protect and promote the welfare and the future of the service personnel’s but not applying the Rules against them. Should there be any acts of omission by the Department involving the flaunting of the existing Service Rules, the same should be spurned and promptly rectified. After all the best protection for the employees are not necessarily the big bosses on the higher ups nor the ‘Dada Giris’ but the Service Rules that are meant to protect the Welfare of its members. The Associations also owns a responsibility to find avenues in streamlining their demands that deserves proper response from the Government.
There is a dire need for leaders, be it at the Political or at the Bureaucratic levels to meet the present challenges with the clarity of vision, courage and competences as one’s credibility will be proved much more during a crisis situation as in the present case but less during peace time. Mishandling a situation during a crucial period will only help in deepening the crisis to a bigger magnitude that will only help in brining undue hardship and suffering to the common people to whom Government is expected to serve and protect.
