Nagaland Health department clarifies on Special Recruitment Drive for Covid appointees

DIMAPUR — The Health department on Thursday issued a clarification on the Special Recruitment Drive (SRD) for Covid appointees, in an attempt to address what it stated were misconceptions regarding the issue.

It explained that the pandemic had exposed a severe shortage of doctors, nurses, technicians and allied healthcare workers in Nagaland.

To meet the crisis, the government responded by creating several posts under SRD, assuring special consideration for those who responded to its call of duty at great personal risk.

It recalled that healthcare workers faced stigma, discrimination and immense personal sacrifices during the pandemic, often uncertain if they would return home alive.

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Many contracted the virus while on duty and some continue to suffer its effects. “If not a legal debt, there remains a moral debt owed to them, one that justified the one-time dispensation of special recruitment,” the statement read.

Not backdoor appointment

The department rejected claims that the SRD was a backdoor appointment. Unlike irregular hiring, it was approved by the Cabinet, publicly advertised and conducted with scrutiny of documents and interviews by competent officers.

The process was transparent and free of political interference, though written exams were not possible due to Covid restrictions, it stated.

According to the department, many qualified candidates had declined to join during the crisis, and those recruited under SRD were essential to maintain health services under the Epidemic Act.

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When the Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC) expressed its inability to conduct exams with special provisions, the matter was referred back to the department, it stated.

The SRD was later stayed by the High Court in October 2024. Following a fresh directive in August 2025, the department resumed the process, which was protested by the Nagaland Medical Students’ Association (NMSA).

The department clarified that the contractual posts were specifically created for those who served during the pandemic and not reserved for medical students or those who chose not to respond.

Vacancies remain for NPSC aspirants

Out of total cadre strength of 511, including 120 posts created during the pandemic, the state currently has 303 regular doctors, 98 Covid appointees and 30 posts under recruitment through NPSC. Even after regularisation of Covid appointees, 80 posts would remain open for NPSC aspirants, it stated.

Since 2016, 99 doctors have been recruited through NPSC. With the Nagaland Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (NIMSR) becoming functional in 2023, annual MBBS seats have risen from 65 to 150, creating more opportunities for young doctors, it added.

The department maintained that creation and abolition of posts are the government’s prerogative, but it also has a moral duty not to forget the “Covid warriors” who sustained the health system during the crisis.

“By delaying the appointment process, there are no winners; rather, the public continues to suffer losses in terms of non availability of services in many health units across the state,” it stated.