A sit-in demonstration began today at NEIGRIHMS, organised by the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU), as its demands regarding nurses at the institute remain unmet.
The pressure group has been pushing for an 80:20 female to male ratio of nurses. It has also been highlighting the difficulties faced by rural patients due to the language barrier with male nurses from Rajasthan. The KSU wants recruitment of local nurses to address this issue.
The KSU and the Hynñiewtrep Youths’ Council have been agitating over the same nursing issue for several months now and last month received support from all three of Meghalaya’s MPs. Although the NEIGRIHMS management is reportedly in favour of the 80:20 ratio, a proposal for this was rejected by the central government, Director Dr Nalin Mehta said last month.
Similarly, Dr Mehta had stated that the demand for preference for local candidates was not viable as NEIGRIHMS follows central, not state, rules. “Recruitment follows an all-India merit list. I cannot prioritise any particular group,” he maintained.
Instead of pushing for extra reservations, the Director proposed a long-term solution, namely to empower local candidates “through better training and education. Success should come from merit.”
However, the two pressure groups have continued with their stated demands.
