The Health Ministry has instructed the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) to cancel the ongoing process of recruiting 911 third and fourth-grade employees in nine districts, although over one crore taka had already been spent on the written and viva tests for the job seekers.
A letter, issued by the ministry on Thursday, also directed the DGHS to serve a fresh circular regarding the recruitment process within three working days, claiming that incidents of bribery, rules violation, and nepotism had taken place during the recent recruitment attempt.
The Dhaka Tribune has learnt that the health directorate had spent around Tk1.37 crore to conduct the written and viva-voce exams that were held last year.
When asked about the issue, Dr Md Shah Newaz, director (administration) of DGHS and also a member secretary of the central recruitment committee, admitted to receiving the ministry directive and said the recruitment committee would sit today to discuss the matter.
The five-member central recruitment committee is headed by Dr Subash Kumer Basu, additional director general of the DGHS, while other members include one representative each from the Public Service Commission, Health Ministry and Public Administration Ministry.
Many of the applicants, meanwhile, expressed their discontent at the latest decision, telling the Dhaka Tribune that they were planning to lodge cases if a new circular were to be issued.
More than 90,000 candidates sat for the written exam on April 26 last year, followed by the viva-voce on July 27. Although the results had almost been prepared, it could not be published because of an ongoing writ petition at the High Court, DGHS officials said.
Seeking anonymity, they added that although the case was resolved a couple of months ago, the recruitment committee sought the ministry’s advice after Health Minister Mohammed Nasim raised objection to the recruitment.
There are allegations that several current and former ministers, state ministers, lawmakers, top bureaucrats and leaders of doctors’ organisations had been pocketing millions of taka from the job seekers by promising them appointments.
Sources said some lobbyists even recommended over 250 candidates, while collecting sums of around Tk2 lakh to Tk6 lakh from each job seeker.
A senior health official, preferring to stay unnamed, told the Dhaka Tribune that the directive to issue a fresh circular would create new opportunity for the unscrupulous quarter to exploit the candidates.
The districts where the recruitment tests were held are Narayanganj, Mymensingh, Faridpur, Naogaon, Narail, Jessore, Satkhira, Barisal and Noakhali.
