NMSA endorses NSF ultimatum to revoke COVID Medical Officers’ regularization
Kohima, December 27 (MExN): The Nagaland Medical Students’ Association (NMSA) has expressed its support for the ultimatum issued by the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) demanding that the Nagaland Government revoke its decision to regularize 97 contractually appointed COVID medical officers without recruitment through the Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC).
Earlier a government notification dated December 16, 2025, regularised the services of 97 ‘COVID Medical Officers' who were hired on a temporary, contractual basis during the health crisis. The student bodies argue that this direct absorption bypasses the mandatory recruitment process through the NPSC, the constitutional body responsible for appointing gazetted officers.
‘Undermines transparency, meritocracy’
NMSA expressed “grave concern” that the regularisation, done outside the purview of the NPSC and the Nagaland Staff Selection Board (NSSB), “undermines the principles of transparency, meritocracy, and equal opportunity enshrined in the Constitution.”
“Such actions not only erode public trust in recruitment institutions but also jeopardise the future of hundreds of qualified Naga medical graduates who have been diligently preparing for equal, open competitive examinations,” it stated.
The association endorsed the NSF’s three-point demand issued in their statement on December 19, 2025: Immediate revocation of the regularisation notifications, the requisition of all 280 related posts to the NPSC and NSSB for open competitive exams, and the implementation of special provisions like grace marks and age relaxation for COVID appointees within the framework of an open competition.
Concern over process
The association acknowledged “deep respect and sincere appreciation” for the “invaluable services” rendered by all healthcare workers during the pandemic and that these workers served under “difficult conditions” and their contribution was “commendable.”
However, it stressed that “recognition of service, howsoever significant, must still be balanced with the constitutional and statutory framework governing public employment.”
The association pointed out that the original appointment letters for these COVID Medical Officers explicitly stated that the posts were “temporary and purely contractual,” limited to a fixed 12-month tenure, and carried “no claim whatsoever for regularisation.” It was made clear that entry into regular sanctioned posts would only be through a “Special Recruitment Drive” under the NPSC or NSSB “strictly in accordance with the applicable recruitment rules.”
Central Govt advisory vs. State action
The statement referred to the directive from the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare dated May 3, 2021, which recommended that state governments give “preference in regular Government appointments of Health professionals through the respective Public Service Commission or other recruitment bodies, for those Health Professionals who complete a minimum of 100 days of COVID related duty.”
The NMSA argued that the Nagaland government’s policy of direct regularisation “only nominally follows” this central advisory and is “discriminatory in nature.” The move excludes other healthcare workers and frontline staff from various departments who also served for over 100 days but are not being considered for similar benefits, it added.
“Consequently, the impugned action is, in substance and effect, not a recruitment drive in accordance with the Central Government’s advisory, but a selective ‘Special Regularisation Drive,’ violative of the principles of equality, fairness, and merit-based public employment,” NMSA stated.
Institutional integrity at stake
Citing the Nagaland Health Service Rules, 2006, the NMSA cautioned that direct large-scale regularisation bypasses the essential safeguards of equal opportunity, transparency, and institutional accountability that the NPSC process ensures.
“Merit-based recruitment is the backbone of an efficient and credible public service,” it said, adding that such a precedent risks “long-term damage to the credibility of statutory recruitment processes” and demoralises hundreds of exam aspirants.
The association also highlighted the “collective and multisectoral effort” of the pandemic, noting the contributions of police, district administration, power department staff, municipal workers, and others. “Selective recognition of only one category of workers... raises concerns of unequal treatment and inconsistency in policy,” it observed.
Proposes middle path
NMSA suggested “alternatives” to honour the COVID-era service without sidelining the NPSC. These include: One-time age relaxation for Contractual medical officers appointed during the COVID period; Additional weightage of marks in NPSC-conducted examinations for relevant Contractual service rendered during the pandemic; Preference clauses strictly within the framework of competitive selection, applicable uniformly and transparently.
These measures, it stated, would acknowledge the extraordinary service while preserving merit-based competition, equal opportunity remain intact, and statutory institutions like the NPSC are strengthened rather than bypassed.
Call for policy review
This statement does not challenge or undermine the authority of the Court’s judgment, NMSA clarified. “Judicial decisions resolve specific legal disputes; however, it remains legitimate and necessary in a democratic society to engage in constructive policy discourse, particularly when decisions have far-reaching implications for governance and future recruitment practices,” it added.
The association urged the state government to uphold institutional integrity by ensuring strict adherence to NPSC-based recruitment for all future Class I Gazetted medical posts; adopt compensatory measures such as age relaxation and service weightage rather than Direct Regularization; clearly define exceptional circumstances to prevent regularization from becoming a substitute for competitive selection; uphold and strengthen the Nagaland Health Service Rules, 2006, through consistent and uniform application.
“Merit-based recruitment is not a mere technical requirement; it is a cornerstone of good governance, professional excellence, and public trust,” the NMSA said, asserting that respecting pandemic service and preserving recruitment norms “need not be mutually exclusive.”
