Says no advertisement for MO via NPSC since 2021
Dimapur, April 9 (MExN): The Nagaland Medical Students’ Association (NMSA), on April 9, has demanded transparent recruitment for sanctioned medical officer (MO) posts occupied by contractual doctors in the State Healthcare System.
The Association made the demand while expressing “disquiet and dissatisfaction” with the recent advertisement issued by the Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC) on March 28 for the Combined Technical Services Examination (CTSE) 2024.
The advertisement “glaringly” omits recruitment for MO positions and this omission comes as a stark contrast to the growing need for healthcare professionals in the State, grappling with shortage of doctors, it asserted.
As per the NMSA, described as a professional body representing medical students and advocating for issues affecting their education, career prospects, and the healthcare system at large, it has been three years since MOs were last recruited through the NPSC.
The last recruitment was done in CTSE 2021, it maintained.
Despite the government's awareness of the State's deficit in healthcare—one doctor for every 4,056 people, against WHO’s recommended ratio of one doctor per 1,000—there has been a worrying lack of initiative to recruit for over 183 sanctioned MO posts currently occupied by State contract doctors and contractual COVID doctors appointees, it added.
The NMSA also underscored the plight of more than 250 medical graduates since the last exam in 2021, who are “eagerly awaiting an equitable, transparent, and merit-based opportunity to compete” in the NPSC CTSE for MO positions.
The burgeoning number of medical graduates each year only intensifies the competition, further emphasising the urgency for recruitment, it noted.
Accordingly, it pointed out that practice of hiring doctors on a contractual basis not only undermines the prospects of current students and fresh graduates but also affects the contract doctors themselves, given the upper age limit for the NPSC CTSE.
The stagnation of recruitment through NPSC CTSE is poised to have a detrimental impact on the State's public health services, it cautioned.
Besides, the NMSA advocated for MO recruitment (MBBS) as the sole entry route into the State Government's Health and Family Welfare Department and opposes the creation of a specialist cadre for recruitment in the NPSC CTSE.
It also called for inclusion of all 22 seats occupied by in-service doctors who have joined the Nagaland Institute of Medical Science and Research (NIMSR).
These seats should be advertised for recruitment of MOs through NPSC's written and viva voce examinations, it said.
In this connection, the Association urgently called upon the government to initiate prompt recruitment measures for all sanctioned MO posts currently occupied contractually as well as the 22 MO posts, stressing that it would grant all eligible graduates a fair chance to qualify by merit and contribute to the State’s healthcare services.
It further appealed all conscientious citizens, civil society organisations, student bodies, and especially the government to prevent the erosion of the healthcare system by ensuring that medical officers are recruited through a process that is advertised, written, and viva qualified by NPSC.
It will endure meritocracy that provides the population with the healthcare they rightfully deserve, it added.
On shortage of specialist doctors
Meanwhile, the NMSA contended that shortage of specialist doctors in district hospitals across the state can be more effectively addressed by reorganising specialist doctors stationed at primary health centres (PHCs) and community health centres (CHCs) to district hospitals (DH).
Reorganisation of the specialist doctors posted in PHCs and CHCs to district hospitals can enhance the utilisation of the valuable expertise and skills of these specialists, it suggested.
By transferring them to district hospitals equipped with advanced diagnostic and treatment technologies, we can elevate the quality of public healthcare services and optimize the delivery of care to our communities, it added.
“We trust that our appeal will be met with immediate consideration and positive action, reflecting the government's commitment to the health and well-being of its people,” stated a pressed release receive here issued by the NMSA President Hungrilak Zeliang and General Secretary, Beka Achumi.
