34 office assistants being recruited flouting rules
The authorities of Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College are going to recruit 34 office assistants, violating the recruitment guidelines for this post.
The authorities made all preparations to hold a recruitment test on March 22 to appoint them on grade-20 of national pay scale-2015. The successful candidates will be appointed permanently under the revenue sector, said the college authorities.
The advertisement for the recruitment was floated in newspapers on December 13 after the health ministry gave a nod to the recruitment in 34 office assistant posts on July 23 last year.
However, according to Section-7 of Bangladesh Health Services (Non-Medical Officers and Employees) Recruitment Rules of 2018, recruitment in 29 posts including those of office assistants at medical colleges should be done through outsourcing, following the Policy for Outsourcing of Services-2018.
A total of 4,200 office assistant posts are vacant at different hospitals and medical colleges across the country at present, disrupting healthcare services, according to health ministry.
A legal notice has already been sent to the health ministry, health secretary, director of Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital, and 10 other authorities concerned regarding the violation of rules in recruiting office assistants at the medical college.
Supreme Court lawyer Kanon Alom, who sent the legal notice, said both the recruitment notice from the medical college and its clearance by the health ministry are in violation of three sections of the rules.
Prof Shishir Ranjan Chakrabarty, principal of the medical college, however, claimed that no rule is being violated by the recruitment.
"The lawyer sent the legal notice based on the rules of 2018, but this recruitment of office assistants is being done as per the Common Post Recruitment Rules of 2019," he said.
"We work under the ministry. We have given the recruitment notice in response to the demand of the ministry," he added.
However, Kanon Alam said the 2018 rules are applicable for this recruitment, not the 2019 rules.
A candidate for the recruitment test, wishing anonymity, said, "I'm concerned about the recruitment process. The circular says it will be a permanent recruitment, whereas the rules say the appointment has to be done through outsourcing."
"This might create complications after retirement in receiving pensions for those who will get recruited in the posts," the candidate added.
Md Azizur Rahman, secretary of the Health Education and Family Welfare Department, could not be reached for comments despite repeated phone calls.
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