Shillong: The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) on Saturday met Union Health Minister JP Nadda and sought his intervention in a range of issues concerning recruitment policies and administrative functioning at the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS), alleging that several existing rules disadvantage indigenous candidates from Meghalaya.
In a representation dated October 31, the KSU Central Executive Council raised eight demands, including restoring the upper age limit for recruitment, removing the requirement of two years’ experience in a 50-bedded hospital for Nursing Officer posts, reviewing reservation provisions and granting the institute the status of an Institute of National Importance (INI).
One of the key concerns raised by the union is the recruitment of Nursing Officers, particularly the absence of an 80:20 female-to-male ratio. Citing the 2023 recruitment conducted through the Nursing Officer Recruitment Common Eligibility Test (NORCET), the KSU claimed that out of 194 candidates selected, 175 were male nurses and only 19 were female nurses.
The union argued that a higher proportion of female nursing staff was necessary, particularly in departments dealing with maternity, gynaecology, neonatal care and paediatrics, where female patients and children may require specialised care.
It also objected to the requirement of two years’ work experience in a 50-bedded hospital in the recruitment advertisement for Nursing Officers, which has since been halted. While stating that it did not oppose the experience requirement itself, the KSU said restricting eligibility to candidates who had worked in hospitals with at least 50 beds would exclude nurses employed in primary health centres, community health centres and smaller hospitals across Meghalaya.
The union also accused the NEIGRIHMS administration of failing to take appropriate action against Nursing Officers facing allegations of molestation. Referring to two cases involving alleged molestation of an indigenous woman and a minor girl, it claimed that FIRs had been registered and charge sheets filed by the police.
The KSU alleged that the accused personnel had not been suspended and continued to work at the institute. It further questioned the circumstances under which a minor girl was allegedly left alone with a male Nursing Officer following an operation.
On recruitment eligibility, the union objected to the reduction of the upper age limit for Nursing Officer and other posts from 35 to 30 years, while the limit for Pharmacist posts was reduced to 27 years. It demanded that the earlier age limit of 35 years be restored, along with applicable relaxations for reserved categories.
The KSU also called for an end to computer-based recruitment examinations conducted through external agencies, including NORCET for Nursing Officers. It argued that Meghalaya lacked adequate computer centres and infrastructure, forcing candidates, particularly those from economically weaker backgrounds, to travel to other locations to sit for examinations.
The union questioned the decision to outsource the examination process to HLL, alleging concerns over transparency and possible malpractice. It said NEIGRIHMS should conduct its own recruitment examinations through the offline mode, as it had done in previous years.
Another issue raised was the alleged excess allocation of vacancies under the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) category. The KSU claimed that errors in the institute’s roster register had resulted in backlog vacancies and demanded that these be rectified before fresh recruitment advertisements were issued.
The union further questioned the reservation provisions for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and Scheduled Castes (SCs), arguing that the existing allocation did not adequately reflect Meghalaya’s demographic and reservation framework.
It claimed that Meghalaya does not have an OBC list and questioned how candidates from outside the state were claiming OBC status in recruitment at the institute. It also argued that the 15% reservation for SC candidates was disproportionate to their share of the state’s population, which it put at around 1%.
The union cited Supreme Court judgments to argue that candidates belonging to SC, ST and OBC categories in one state cannot automatically claim the same reservation benefits in another state.
Beyond recruitment-related concerns, the KSU urged the Centre to grant NEIGRIHMS the status of an Institute of National Importance through an Act of Parliament.
It said such recognition would provide the institute greater academic and administrative autonomy, strengthen research and innovation, and help address healthcare disparities in the Northeast.
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