Agartala, Aug 15: The Tripura Human Rights Commission (THRC) has urged the state’s Health and Family Welfare Department to put on hold the appointments of medical officers who scored 30 or below out of 100 marks in recruitment exams.
The recommendation follows the Tripura Public Service Commission’s (TPSC) August 13 publication of a list of 216 candidates selected for the post of General Duty Medical Officers (GDMOs). Reports indicated that some candidates scored as low as 14, 19, 20, and 21.
THRC Chairman Justice (Retd) Arindam Lodh, in his order dated August 14, said the appointment of such low-scoring candidates could endanger public health, noting that the right to appropriate healthcare is a fundamental right. He stressed that recommending poorly performing candidates “means playing with the lives of the citizens of the state,” which was not expected from an organisation like the TPSC.
Citing larger public interest, the commission recommended keeping these appointments in abeyance until further orders and sought reports from both the Health and Family Welfare Department and the TPSC by August 26.
