NSF issues ultimatum to Nagaland govt over regularisation of COVID-era medical officers

The Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) has issued an ultimatum to the Nagaland government, strongly opposing the regularisation of medical officers and other health workers appointed on a contractual basis during the COVID-19 pandemic, terming the move arbitrary, unconstitutional, and a violation of established recruitment norms.

In a representation addressed to the Chief Secretary, Government of Nagaland, the NSF alleged that the state government had disregarded constitutional provisions and repeated objections raised by the Federation against regularising contractual health workers without following due recruitment procedures through the Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC) and the Nagaland Staff Selection Board (NSSB).

The NSF said it had earlier submitted multiple representations objecting to any form of regularisation outside the framework of open competitive examinations. Despite this, the Health and Family Welfare Department regularised the services of 97 medical officers engaged during the pandemic through a notification dated December 16, 2025. The Federation noted that an earlier departmental notification had proposed the regularisation of 280 posts, including medical officers, junior specialists, and other health workers, through a screening process.

Calling the move legally untenable, the NSF cited the Nagaland Health Service Rules, 2006, which mandate that recruitment to Class-I Gazetted posts must be conducted strictly through the NPSC. It argued that bypassing the commission violated the principle of equal opportunity in public employment guaranteed under the Constitution.

The Federation highlighted that between 2015 and 2024, only 61 medical officers were recruited through the NPSC, despite Nagaland producing over 150 MBBS graduates annually. In contrast, it said, the recent notification regularised 97 medical officers in a single decision without offering equal opportunity to qualified aspirants preparing for competitive examinations.

While acknowledging the services rendered by healthcare workers during the pandemic, the NSF stressed that their appointments were explicitly temporary and did not carry any assurance of regularisation. Converting emergency contractual engagements into permanent posts, it said, amounted to legitimising backdoor entry into government service.

As part of its ultimatum, the NSF demanded immediate revocation of all notifications related to the regularisation of COVID-era appointees, requisition of all 280 posts to the NPSC and NSSB within 45 days for open competitive recruitment, and implementation of special provisions such as grace marks and one-time age relaxation for pandemic appointees within the competitive framework.

The Federation warned that failure to address the issue would compel it to initiate strong democratic resistance, holding the state government solely responsible for any ensuing agitation.