Shillong: The Meghalaya Cabinet on Tuesday approved the formal confirmation of bonded nurses and bonded paramedical staff appointed between 2008 and 2012, ending years of uncertainty for more than 220 personnel.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said the decision followed a detailed review by the Cabinet and the Health Department. The government had earlier stated that all ad-hoc appointments made after 2007 would need to be re-advertised, as they did not adhere to standard recruitment procedures. Bonded nurses were initially included in that category.
However, Sangma said further scrutiny revealed that the 2008–2012 appointments were made through a specific process unique to bonded nurses, which required candidates to sign legally binding bonds before receiving appointments. “After going through all documentation and based on interactions with the bonded nurses, we found that procedures were followed. Hence, the Cabinet has decided to confirm and recognise these appointments,” he said.
Clarifying the distinction, the Chief Minister noted that ad-hoc employees are appointed against sanctioned posts without any formal recruitment process, and therefore all such appointments made post-2007 required fresh recruitment under a Supreme Court ruling. Bonded nurses, he said, did not fall under this category.
“There was a selection process, there were bonds signed, and appointments were made on that basis. This is completely different from cases where individuals were simply appointed without any process,” Sangma explained.
He added that although the process was not conducted through the MPSC, DSC, or the Medical Recruitment Board, it remained a documented and legally supported system. The bonding procedure, which continued until 2012 before being abolished in 2013, formed the basis for the Cabinet’s final decision.
With the approval, the recruitment for these posts will not be re-advertised, and the services of the bonded nurses and paramedics from the 2008–2012 period now stand officially recognised.