The Health Department is desperate to fill a vacancy for Medical Physicist-cum-Radiation Safety Officer and has therefore converted the reserved position to an unreserved one after it failed to get suitably qualified tribal applicants.
The Hynniewtrep Youths’ Council (HYC) was told this after it sought for an explanation as to why the reserved post was opened up to non-tribals.
HYC education secretary Enlang Sawian spoke to Highland Post today, and said that the Meghalaya Medical Service Recruitment Board had explained that it did not get suitable candidates from the Khasi, Jaintia or Garo communities despite three calls for applications.
Only seven candidates from the Khasi-Jaintia category applied and none have completed the required Diploma in Medical Physics or the Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) exam; they have only obtained an MSc in Physics.
Sawian informed that the Health Department expressed concerns that without the timely appointment of a permanent RSO, it may face challenges in managing cancer patients with the new MRI machine that is set to be installed.
However, the HYC, while accepting that there is an urgent need to appoint a qualified RSO, has urged the board to postpone the application process so that local candidates can sit the RSO exam that is scheduled for May. Those that pass can then be eligible for the vacancy.
