Course correction

 In the aftermath of the t total state wide cease work on June 14 called by the National Health Mission Employees Association Nagaland(NEAN) in protest against the appointments to 27 posts of medical officers (Class-I Gazetted) on contingency and then regularised soon after when some of the appointees had not even joined work, the state cabinet on June 23 had to back down by revoking its June 6 decision. The cabinet decision arose after the minister of health & family welfare S.Pangnyu Phom held a meeting with NEAN members earlier on June 16. In the meeting with NEAN executive members, the minister and assured them of taking their case with the department for onward submission to the cabinet. It may be recalled that NEAN struck work after the department of health & family welfare appointed 27 doctors on contingency basis for 12 months but flouted the service rules by regularising their services. NEAN employees are appointed under NHM on contract but most have rendered ten or more years of commendable service. NEAN member felt, that at least their services ought to have been regularised if services of newly appointed doctors were regularised instantly though appointed only for a 12-month period. The issue of regularisation and claims that the posts advertised were newly created owing to the exigency had the medical fraternity raise Cain. The Nagaland Junior Doctors Association (NJDA) and the Nagaland Medical Students Association (NMSA) strongly objected at how existing rules and regulations regarding appointments were flouted. The cease work by over 1800 NEAN members directly threatened the already overworked ‘frontline workers’ involved with containing COVID-19 pandemic in the state. The Cabinet had okayed the proposals to appoint doctors on contingency and with utmost urgency in view of acute shortage of doctors in the current COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the cabinet also “empowered” the Department of Health & Family Welfare (DoHFW) to have a free hand to appoint scores of doctors on contractual “one time basis”. The “free hand” apparently led to transgression into regularisation of service. At the height of the cease work by NEAN and the series of outrage from the medical fraternity, the state government did not respond positively. Instead, the state government only went on to explain that the services and rules governing appointments and remuneration etc were vastly different between those employed under NHM under contract and those employed by the state government under DoHFW. The government’s response went off on a tangent and instead of being convincing, it only led to suspicions that there was something not quite right. The questions arose as to whether the cabinet was well informed about the entire issue while making the decision or did the DoHFW go a step further than what was permitted? The matter was thankfully resolved after the cabinet had to do a course correction on June 23 by revoking its earlier decision and sticking to the rule that the services of the appointees would be on contract basis and not on regular basis. This issue including the controversial purchases by the department under the plea of COVID-19 pandemic explains why the system that deals with healing is itself ailing.