Shillong, May 2: The North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) is still awaiting the approval of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare for implementation of an 80:20 female-to-male ratio in nursing recruitment, increasing age limits among other demands.
This was informed by the Director of NEIGRIHMS, Dr N Mehta, on Friday following an indefinite sit-in-protest staged by the Khasi Students Union (KSU) against the alleged failure of the institute to fulfill various demands related to job recruitment.
“The Institute has formally submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, with a strong recommendation for implementing an 80:20 female-to-male ratio in nursing recruitment, aligning with the precedent followed by premier institutions like AIIMS and PGIMER. This step has been taken after careful consideration of gender balance in the healthcare workforce and response to representations received from various stakeholders,” Dr Mehta said in a statement.
He also informed that NEIGRIHMS has duly forwarded all letters, representations, and communications from local organizations, Members of Parliament, and the Minister of Health from the State of Meghalaya to the Ministry for review and necessary action.
“These representations include demands related to local reservation criteria, an increase in age limits, conduct of the recruitment examination by NEIGRIHMS itself, and holding the examination in OMR format,” Dr Mehta added.
Further, the Director also clarified that some of these decisions fall within the purview of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and are not delegated to the Director or the Institute administration.
“NEIGRIHMS acts strictly as per the instructions, orders, and policy directions received from the Ministry. We await further guidance and approval from the Ministry on the above matters,” he said.
Dr Mehta further clarified that the male Nursing Officers who joined NEIGRIHMS through the last NORCET recruitment were not selected due to being lower in merit or as “leftover” candidates.
“On the contrary, several of them had higher ranks but were allocated to NEIGRIHMS due to the 80:20 female-to-male recruitment ratio being enforced at AIIMS institutions. As a result, female candidates with lower ranks were selected for AIIMS, while higher-ranking male candidates were posted to NEIGRIHMS under the central allocation mechanism.”
Stating that the Institute remains committed to transparency, fairness, and adherence to government norms in all its recruitment processes, the Director said, “We urge all stakeholders to await official communication from the Ministry and to refrain from actions that may disrupt institutional functioning.”
The KSU has maintained that the protest will continue till all demands are fulfilled by the institute.
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