Naga students' body submits memorandum to CS opposing regularization of COVID-era health workers

The Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) has strongly opposed the Nagaland government’s recent decision to regularise 280 contractual health workers, including 98 Medical Officers and Junior Specialists, through a departmental screening process, calling it “arbitrary, unconstitutional, and a blatant bypass of recruitment rules.”

In a memorandum addressed to the Chief Secretary, the NSF condemned the Health and Family Welfare Department’s Notification No. HFW(A)10/34/2024/145 dated August 18, 2025. The student body reminded the government that it had earlier, on September 4, 2024, categorically opposed any form of regularization outside the ambit of the Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC) and the Nagaland Staff Selection Board (NSSB).

“The Nagaland Health Service Rules, 2006 clearly mandate that Class-I Gazetted posts must be filled through NPSC competitive examinations. By regularizing 98 doctors and others without due process, the government is undermining equal opportunity and denying fair chances to aspirants preparing for open exams,” the NSF stated.

The federation highlighted that between 2015 and 2024, only 61 Medical Officers were recruited through NPSC, while this single notification seeks to regularize 98 at once, even though Nagaland produces over 150 MBBS graduates annually. “Such actions will only deepen unemployment and normalize backdoor appointments,” the NSF warned.

Acknowledging the contribution of doctors and health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, the NSF, however, pointed out that their contractual terms had clearly mentioned the temporary nature of their jobs with no claim to regularization. “Their service deserves recognition, but it must not come at the cost of fairness and legality,” the student body said.

The NSF has recommended alternatives such as grace marks and one-time age relaxation for COVID appointees, to be implemented through open recruitment under NPSC and NSSB.

The federation has demanded immediate revocation of the notification, requisition of all 280 posts to NPSC/NSSB, and implementation of its suggested special provisions. It also warned that any attempt to bypass due process would be met with “strong democratic resistance.”