DIMAPUR — The Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) has objected to a notification issued by the department of Health and Family Welfare seeking to regularise 280 health workers, including 98 medical officers and junior specialists appointed during the Covid-19 pandemic, through a departmental screening process.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the NSF said that the notification, dated August 18, 2025, was “deeply arbitrary and unconstitutional” as it went against established recruitment rules and procedures. The federation pointed out that under the Nagaland Health Service Rules, 2006, recruitment to Class-I Gazetted posts must be conducted through the Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC) by way of competitive examinations.

“By regularising 98 medical officers/junior specialists and others outside NPSC scrutiny, the department sets aside the principle of equal opportunity, thereby depriving countless aspirants who are preparing for open competitive examinations,” it stated.

According to the federation, between 2015 and 2024 only 61 medical officers were recruited through NPSC, while Nagaland produces over 150 MBBS graduates annually. “Yet, this single notification seeks to regularise 98 in one go.”

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The federation recalled its earlier representation to the government in September 2024, in which it had opposed any move to regularise Covid appointees outside the purview of the NPSC and the Nagaland Staff Selection Board (NSSB).

“Despite our firm stance and recommendations, the department has gone against the same and issued the present notification in blatant disregard of established recruitment rules and procedures,” it stated.

While acknowledging the service of doctors and health workers during the pandemic, the NSF said that their engagement terms had made clear that the appointments were temporary, valid for one year, with no claim to regularisation. It argued that any one-time dispensation would set a precedent for “backdoor appointments.”

The federation reiterated its earlier recommendation that special provisions, such as grace marks and one-time age relaxation, could be given to Covid appointees but only within the framework of open recruitment through NPSC and NSSB.

The NSF demanded immediate revocation of the August 18 notification, requisition of all 280 posts to NPSC and NSSB, and implementation of the special provisions it had suggested.

It cautioned that any attempt to bypass due process of recruitment would be met with democratic opposition.