SRINAGAR: Numerous aspirants have raised concerns regarding the recruitment of senior stipendiary residents at the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) in Soura, Srinagar. Candidates claim that neither merit nor entrance exams were utilised as criteria for selecting the candidates.
The aspirants have disclosed that on September 21, SKIMS released a selection list for the appointment of 53 stipendiary senior resident doctors. Upon reviewing the list of selected candidates, many aspirants questioned the selection process, particularly in the surgery department, asserting that only favored individuals were chosen.
“Among the candidates selected in the surgery department was Dr Masood Tanvir Bhat’s son, who is the principal of the Government Medical College (GMC), along with several other favored candidates,” they claimed.
According to both aspirants and senior SKIMS officials, neither exams were conducted nor was merit taken into account for candidate selection. Instead, candidates were chosen solely based on their performance in interviews.
Aspirants further claim that the interviews were brief, consisting of just three simple questions, leaving them surprised when the results revealed the significant influence of nepotism in the selection process. They argue that selection should have been based on either examinations or merit, yet neither of these criteria was utilised.
Some candidates who appeared on the selection list were not even seen during the interview, raising questions about the basis of their selection, they said.
The aspirants have called upon the Lieutenant Governor to initiate a high-level investigation into the matter and to scrutinize the operations of SKIMS.
They have pointed out that the selection committee comprised the Director, Dean, Medical Superintendent, Director of Finance, and the expert Head of the relevant department. However, they allege that the concerned Heads of Departments were absent during the interviews, casting doubt on the fairness of the process for appointing 53 senior resident doctors at SKIMS. (KNS)
