On Nagaland Cabinet decision to regularize contractual and contingency medical officers
Kohima 15th June 2020
The Naga People’s Front is deeply concerned over the imbroglio in the Department of Health and Family Welfare where the recent decision of the Cabinet of the State Government to regularize the contractual and contingency medical officers under the Department.
The very decision of commissioning public servants without following the laid down procedures is a blatant and atrocious disregard for the law governing the land and can only be termed as an act of Nepotism.
The Party understood the present situation (Covid-19 Pandemic) doing the round in the state has demanded for an urgent need for trained Medical Personnel, and therefore, the need for contractual and contingency Doctors. The logical progression to this scenario would have been the extension of their contracts till such time as the Government needed their services.
Another unpleasant fall-out of this arbitrary Cabinet Decision would be the burden on the state exchequer. The salary/emoluments of those contractual workers recruited due to the Covid-19 Pandemic could have been borne out of the Covid-19 fund, whereas their regularization would place an additional burden over a few crores of rupees every year on the state budget, which the Government is struggling even to meet the salaries of the existing State Government employees.
And moreover, the Chief Minister himself has announced on various occasions that the State Government is struggling to meet up the salaries of the existing employees.
The NPF Party unequivocally demands that the cabinet decision be put on hold regarding regularization of the contractual and contingency Medical Staff. The rules of recruitment into the public service as a regular employee cannot be so patently ignored just taking advantage of the existing pandemic.
This authoritarian attitude of the PDA Government would moreover, set a very dangerous precedent for the post-pandemic governments and the future Naga Generations.
It would also force the appointed MOs into a very uncomfortable position if a first class gazette post is given them without following proper appointment procedure and if at all their service is indispensable, proper laid down recruitment procedure should be followed to accommodate them.
Instead, the NPF party calls for the recruitment of Trained Medical Personnel as regularized appointees, where necessitated, through Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC), and only after undergoing the prescribed Probationary Period. This would ensure that all qualified candidates have an equal opportunity for employment under the state government and no one is discriminated against.
The NPF also urges the PDA government to expeditiously address the grievances of the NHM Employees and break the deadlock so that various Health Centres across the state start functioning normally again.
The lives of the people of Nagaland must not be imperiled because of ‘blatant and atrocious nepotism’ of the Government. Therefore, the NPF party immediately asked the Government of the day to immediately end up the messes and work out the modalities where the medical professionals can serve the public at this time of crisis with dedication and commitment.
Issued by:
Press Bureau,
Naga People’s Front,
Central Headquarters,
Kohima: Nagaland.
* This Press Release was sent to e-pao.net by NPF Bureau who can be contacted at npfpressbureau(AT)rediffmail(DOT)com
This Press Release was posted on 16 June 2020
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