Karnataka Medical Education Minister Sharan Prakash Patil has directed officials to fill all Group A vacancies through a competitive examination conducted by the Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA). This decision, announced in a statement released on Wednesday, follows concerns about the current recruitment process, which has been marred by allegations of corruption and nepotism.
The minister specifically instructed officials to immediately begin recruiting 650 Assistant Professors, who fall under the Group-A category, and 1200 nurses through KEA. Patil expressed dissatisfaction with the previous recruitment practices, where individual institutions conducted recruitment processes, leading to accusations of unfair practices.
This new directive aims to regulate the recruitment process and ensure fairness in filling vacant positions across 33 government institutions under the Department of Medical Education. These institutions include 22 medical colleges and 11 super specialty hospitals located throughout the state.
The move is designed to promote transparency and competition in the recruitment process. To facilitate this change, the department’s recruitment bylaws will be amended to enable KEA to conduct examinations for all vacant positions.
The proposal to recruit nurses through KEA was submitted by the government a few years ago, but the KEA initially expressed concerns due to the lack of proper C&R rules and a roster system. However, Minister Patil has now directed the Department of Medical Education (DME) and the joint secretary to follow the C&R rules applicable to nurse recruitment under the health and family welfare department.
To ensure a smooth transition of recruitment responsibilities to KEA, Minister Patil has instructed the Director of Medical Education, Sujatha Rathod, to establish an expert committee to develop a syllabus for the examinations conducted by KEA.
