Nagaland: Medical students continue stir against health department’s regularisation move

KOHIMA — The Nagaland Medical Students’ Association (NMSA) protest entered its second day on Monday as the group continued to demand immediate revocation of the Health and Family Welfare department’s order regularising 280 contractual posts created during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Gathering outside the Directorate of Health and Family Welfare in Kohima, NMSA members were joined by more organisations extending support to their demand.

NMSA president Dr. Pito S Rochill said that the protest would continue until their demand was met. He maintained that the department’s notification dated August 18, which regularised 98 medical officers appointed during the pandemic, violated the principle of meritocracy and infringed Articles 14 and 16 of the Indian Constitution.

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“There are many aspirants who want to sit for examination but they are being denied that democratic right,” he said.

He also clarified that the department’s press statement naming the NMSA as the writ petitioner was “very wrong”. The association, he said, had never filed a case against the government or the department.

“There are separate petitioners who have filed a case against the state, not the NMSA. The department is trying to mislead the public,” he added.

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Rochill further said the department was misrepresenting the court’s order by claiming it had been directed to regularise the posts. “The court never gave any such direction. The petition was dismissed but the court did not ask them to regularise,” he said.

The association demanded that the August 18 order be revoked and the posts requisitioned to the Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC).

Convenor of Combined Technical Association of Nagaland (CTAN), Meshenlo Kath, also extended support to the NMSA and joined the protest on Monday. He said that CTAN had opposed the special recruitment drive since last year and had submitted an ultimatum to the department, arguing that filling the 280 posts through this process violated NPSC rules and Article 16 of the Constitution.

Kath clarified that the associations were not against the individuals whose names were on the list of 280. “We acknowledge their services during Covid-19, but regularisation through a special recruitment drive cannot be justified. Many health workers served in private hospitals during the pandemic but their services are not being recognised,” he said.

Later in the day, the NMSA submitted a representation to the principal director of Health and Family Welfare.

The association also issued a public appeal inviting citizens, student bodies, and civil society organisations to join them in solidarity.

The NMSA announced that the protest will continue on September 2 at 10 am outside the Health and Family Welfare department in Kohima.