Meghalaya: KSU demands changes to NEIGRIHMS recruitment policies

The Khasi Students' Union has submitted a 10-point charter of demands to the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) on April 1, calling for immediate changes to the institute's recruitment practices.

In a letter to the NEIGRIHMS Director, KSU Employment Cell chairman Reuben Najiar emphasised the need to protect the rights of indigenous tribals during the hiring process. The union has requested that current recruitment advertisements be suspended until their concerns are addressed.

Among the key demands, KSU has called for reinstating the age limit to 35 years from the recently reduced 30 years. Najiar criticised the administration's decision as "flawed and illogical," arguing that a lower age limit reduces workforce diversity, limits the available talent pool, and restricts the experience level of potential candidates.

The union also highlighted issues with gender balance in nursing staff. Najiar pointed to the 2023 recruitment process where 175 male nurses and only 19 female nurses were selected. The KSU is demanding a 20:80 male-female ratio for nursing officers, similar to what is implemented at AIIMS.

"Countless complaints have been received by the Union against these male nurses who are incompetent in delivering out their work and are also a threat to the lives of the patients," stated Najiar.

Additional demands include accepting experience certificates from all registered hospitals rather than only 50-bedded facilities, switching to offline recruitment through OMR, reviewing reservation policies, and abolishing OBC reservation in Group B and C positions in Meghalaya where no OBC list exists.

The KSU has warned that failure to address these concerns could prompt the union to "take a different course of action."