Mizoram govt serves show-cause notice to ZMC director

Aizawl: The Mizoram government on Thursday served a show-cause notice to the director of Zoram Medical College (ZMC), the lone medical college and Covid-19 dedicated hospital in the state, seeking an explanation on the allegation of selection of some candidates, who did not face personal interviews,  for the post of staff nurse under the medical college.

An explanation was sought from the director following rumours about the selection of some candidates, who did not either face an interview or possess a nursing registration certificate, which was doing the rounds in some social media platforms, the order said. The director was directed to submit an explanation over the alleged irregularity as earliest as possible.

ZMC director Dr. John Zohmingthanga could not be contacted on the matter.
The state health and family welfare department had last month issued an advertisement inviting applications from eligible candidates for recruiment of 50 staff nurses in ZMC on a contractual basis.

The 50 vacant posts were to be filled up through direct recruitment or walk-in-interview.  The result of personal interview held between September 27 and September 30 was declared on October 4.

However, the result was strongly opposed by hired voluntary nurses, political parties and a student body due to alleged irregularities and discrepancies. The voluntary nurses have demanded that the recruitment result be rectified on or before October 14.

They alleged that some candidates, who did not face personal interviews, were short-listed in the result for recruitment as staff nurses.

To cope up with the manpower crunch amid rising Covid-19 cases, the government had hired hundreds of nurses on voluntary purposes in ZMC and other Covid-19 Care facilities across the state.

A voluntary nurse in ZMC, who refused to be named, said that at least 103 voluntary nurses are currently working at the medical college and the first batch had joined their duty in April this year. She said that the voluntary nurses are being hired for at least  100 days (compulsory) at a monthly remuneration of Rs 22,000.

The voluntary nurses working at ZMC have been staging agitation since October 5 to protest against the alleged irregularities in recruitment results and their remuneration, she said.The nurses stayed off from their duty on October 5. 

She alleged that at least three candidates, who did not face personal interviews, were shortlisted in the result for recruitment as staff nurses in ZMC apparently due to nepotism.

She said that the government while inviting applications for voluntary nurses had clearly stated that the hired voluntary nurses would be given first preference when they apply for government jobs. “Even though the government had promised to give us a priority, only 14 voluntary nurses were selected among 50,” she said, adding that about 80 per cent of the voluntary nurses in ZMC applied for the post. 

She also alleged that the hired voluntary nurses were paid very irregularly since the beginning and the government has not paid them for two months now under the pretext of  “no sanction” for the remuneration.”

We ask the government to rectify recruitment result and give us our remuneration on or before October 14,” she said. Some political parties and organisations, including main opposition Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) and Mizo Students’ Union (MSU) also asked the state government to cancel the recruitment result, which was declared on October 4. 

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