More than one lakh candidates are set to vie for 1,808 vacant posts of third and fourth-class DGHS employees, the recruitment test for which is set to be held tomorrow.
The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has received 81,944 applications against 1,260 vacancies for third-class posts, and 22,170 applications for 548 vacant posts of fourth-class employees in 26 districts.
The hour-long written test will be on 70 marks of multiple-choice questions, while 5,424 candidates will later be selected on the basis of merit to appear for a 30-marks viva-voce exam.
The recruitment test will be the first one to be held under the authority of the incumbent health minister, state minister for health and the new DGHS director general, all of whom had given special instructions to make the recruitment fair and controversy-free.
Seeking anonymity, a senior DGHS official said a new company had been selected to check the test papers with OMR machines, as the previous company tasked with the job was alleged to have been involved to unfairly select the candidates.
Sources said a large number of candidate recommendations have already started coming in from different influential quarters including cabinet members, political leaders and public officials.
Several senior officials of the ministry and the directorate, however, told the Dhaka Tribune that to receive any sort of favour, the candidates must first pass the written test.
Dr Md Shah Newaz, DGHS director (administration) and member secretary of the central recruitment committee, told the Dhaka Tribune that the questions and the answer sheets would be handed over in sealed trunks to officials of the civil surgeon’s offices in the presence of a magistrate today.
A 52-member team consisting of senior officials of the health ministry and the DGHS has been formed to inspect the recruitment test in 26 districts.
During different earlier recruitment efforts, health officials were criticised for allegedly taking bribes to recruit candidates, while several cases were also filed with the high court in this regard.
Because of the allegations and the cases, the final results for the DGHS recruitment of 915 third and fourth-class employees in nine districts remain pending.
