Nurse recruitment written exams of 100 marks only

The Public Service Commission (PSC) will conduct a preliminary test of only 100 marks and oral test of 100 marks instead of written test of 1,000 marks in recruiting some 3,600 nurses, Health Minister Mohammed Nasim said yesterday.

The PSC took the decision following health ministry's request to do so following widespread demonstration by the nurses who opposed the recruitment through the examinations by the PSC, but demanded recruitment based on seniority and merit.

"The PSC has agreed to the health ministry's request as we want to speed up the recruitment of nurses to ease nurse crisis in the public hospitals," Nasim said at a meeting at the secretariat yesterday, according to a ministry press release.

The PSC issued a circular on March 28 on recruiting 3,616 senior nurses in public hospitals. It says the applicants below the age of 36 and attaining Bachelor of Science and diploma in nursing had to take an exam.

The circular triggered unemployed nurses' demonstration since early April. Bangladesh Nurses Oikya Parishad (BNOP), a platform of nine nurse associations joined it later. On April 24, it submitted a memorandum to the prime minister and health minister.

Nasim warned that the authorities would take punitive actions against the public hospital nurses if they violate the rules.

He said 10,000 more posts have been created for the nurses in the public hospitals, and 7,000 will be recruited in the current fiscal year.