The Department of Health & Family Welfare has put on hold the ongoing process of regularizing various categories of posts that were created during the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision comes in compliance with an interim directive issued by the High Court.
According to an official order, the process of regularization through the Department Screening Committee has been kept in abeyance in line with the court’s instructions in Writ Appeal No. 25/2025, dated September 3, 2025.
The High Court, while hearing the matter, has stayed both the Cabinet Decision of August 6, 2024 and the subsequent Notification of August 18, 2025, which formed the basis for the ongoing regularization process.
As per the court’s directive, no further steps for regularization are to be undertaken by the State respondents until further orders.
H&FW issues clarification on Special Recruitment Drive for COVID appointees
The Department of Health & Family Welfare (H&FW), Nagaland, has issued a detailed clarification on the Special Recruitment Drive (SRD) for COVID appointees, addressing widespread misconceptions and highlighting the extraordinary circumstances under which these appointments were made. The clarification comes amid ongoing debates, protests, and a court case that has stalled the recruitment process.
The department recalled the extraordinary struggles faced by healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, describing it as a time when the state’s healthcare delivery system was pushed to the brink.
Healthcare personnel worked under intense fear and social stigma—many were asked to vacate rented homes, denied entry to colonies, and restricted from moving beyond workplaces. Despite these challenges, they continued serving, often at great personal risk.
“Healthcare workers went on duty not knowing whether they would return alive or in body bags,” the statement read. Some contracted the virus and continue to suffer its long-term effects, while others were unable to attend funerals of loved ones due to quarantine and duty restrictions, it added.
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“The pandemic also exposed a critical shortage of doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals. Retired doctors were recalled despite being in vulnerable age groups, interns and MBBS students were urged to assist, though few responded, and many qualified young doctors outside government service chose to remain at home. In this climate, those who responded to the government’s call were promised special consideration through the SRD,” the statement further stated.
Dispelling rumors of favoritism, the department stressed that the COVID recruitment was neither arbitrary nor political, the statement said.
Stressing that COVID recruitment was not a backdoor appointment, the Department clarified that COVID SRD was approved by the Cabinet, publicly advertised, conducted with meticulous scrutiny of documents and eligibility; and interviewed by qualified and competent officers.
It further stated given the restrictions and urgency of the pandemic, the usual lengthy NPSC recruitment process was not feasible. Many qualified candidates even declined to join, fearing the risks of serving COVID patients.
“To maintain essential healthcare services under the Epidemic Act, the government assured special consideration for COVID-recruited personnel. If the government is empowered to ensure essential services, it is also morally bound to provide adequate manpower to sustain those services,” it stated.
NPSC’s position and Court intervention
The Department said when the Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC) expressed its inability to conduct exams with special provisions for the SRD, it referred the recruitment back to the Medical Department. The department initiated the SRD, but it was stayed by the High Court in October 2024.
Following a fresh directive from the Court on August 1, 2025, the department resumed the recruitment process, which was then met with protests from the Nagaland Medical Students’ Association (NMSA), it stated.
The Department clarified that the COVID contractual posts were created specifically to address the urgent shortage of doctors during the pandemic. These posts were not reserved for those still in medical colleges or those who chose not to respond during the crisis. They were meant for those who answered the government’s advertisement and served during the pandemic.
Vacancies still open for NPSC aspirants
The department emphasized that regular NPSC recruitment continues and that the SRD does not deprive aspirants of opportunities. Out of a cadre strength of 511 posts (including 120 posts created during COVID-19), there are currently 303 regular doctors, 98 COVID appointees, and 30 under NPSC recruitment. Even if COVID appointees are regularized, 80 posts remain vacant for NPSC candidates, it disclosed.
Since 2016, 99 doctors have been recruited through NPSC, and with the establishment of Nagaland Institute of Medical Sciences & Research (NIMSR) in 2023, annual MBBS seats have increased from 65 to 150.
A call for Justice and Compassion
Calling the recruitment drive a matter of justice and compassion, the department underlined that while the creation, abolishment and recruitment of posts are the prerogative of the government, the government does not forget the COVID warriors who stepped in to fill the manpower gap and sustain healthcare delivery.
The Department hoped that the laws of the land would extend merciful justice to these COVID warriors, whose futures now hang in uncertainty due to protests from those who did not serve during the crisis.
