HC questions recruitment process of 5054 nurses in Covid-19 period

The High Court on Tuesday questioned the legality of a recruitment process of 5054 persons in the posts of senior staff nurse by the Bangladesh Public Service Commission (PSC) during the coronavirus pandemic.

The court issued a rule upon the respondents to explain as to why the notification of the PSC recommending the appointment of 5054 persons in the posts of senior staff nurse should not be declared illegal.

In the rule the court also wanted to know from the respondents to explain as to why the respondents should not be directed to take necessary steps to appoint the 51 petitioners in the posts of senior staff nurse.

Health Secretary, chairman of Bangaldesh Public Service Commission and other respondents have been asked to comply with the rule within four weeks.

The High Court bench of Justice Obaidul Hassan and Justice AKM Zahirul Huq passed the order after hearing a writ petition filed by 51 candidates including Md Jabrul Islam seeking recruitment in the said posts.

Bangladesh Public Service Commission (BPSC) on April 30, 2020 recommended the recruitment of 2,000 assistant surgeons and 5,054 senior staff nurses to join the frontline fight against the novel coronavirus.

The doctors were recruited from the non-cadre list of the 39th Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) and the nurses were recruited from the waiting list of senior staff nurse recruitment process of 2017, sources said.

But the 51 candidates were deprived during the selection process of recently recruited 5054 nurses and then they came to the HC to challenge the recruitment process.

According to the writ petition, after completion of a recruitment process of 2017 the PSC recruited 5128 candidates in the posts of senior staff nurse in 2018.