July Reforms Bring Midnight Appointments: Secret Hiring of 65 Government Doctors

Staff Reporter

Though no documentary evidence could be presented, the phenomenon of “midnight voting” became a widely discussed topic through excessive propaganda. The interim government had arrived with the promise of “reforms,” vowing to eliminate all irregularities. However, no reforms took place; instead, an uproar has begun over the secret hiring of 65 government doctors under the cover of darkness.

A storm of questions has arisen in the public mind regarding the secrecy and lack of transparency in the recruitment process.

This recruitment under the Ministry of Health was completed extremely quickly and covertly. No public notice, open competition, or impartial evaluation process was observed.

Allegations have surfaced that political interference and favoritism influenced the appointments. As a result, qualified doctors are being deprived, raising concerns about the quality of public healthcare services.

Meanwhile, terming the appointment of 65 doctors at Bangladesh Shishu Hospital as “midnight voting,” deprived and general physicians raised questions at a press conference in front of the hospital in Shyamoli, Dhaka, on Thursday. They asked how so many people were appointed without any public notice, examination, answer script evaluation, merit-based result publication, or official notification.

These appointments were made by June 30 following the 22nd and 23rd meetings of the hospital’s governing board on April 12 and 13 of this year. Protesting this, the doctors at the press conference said that ad-hoc appointments might be justified in private hospitals under special circumstances, but such appointments cannot be made in government or autonomous hospitals. These appointments were made away from public scrutiny, disregarding any circular or recruitment exam. Here, everyone who applied was appointed—and all in darkness.

When asked why they were opposing the appointments if the selected candidates claimed legitimacy, the aggrieved doctors replied, “Our responsibility is to bring these irregularities to light. Why should such appointments happen in a national institution? There is a system to recruit based on merit through circulars—that should be followed.”

When questioned whether there were doubts about the qualifications of those appointed, the affected doctors said, “If appointments are made through under-the-table dealings, questions about qualifications naturally arise. If they were qualified, they would have competed for these positions fairly.”

At the press conference, Dr. SM Khaliduzzaman, Chairman of Bangladesh Fertility Hospital, demanded the cancellation of these appointments and called for fresh recruitment, stating, “We want these appointments canceled and new ones made transparently. The nation should be given the opportunity to progress based on merit.”

During the event, the doctors chanted slogans such as, “Not quotas, but merit—merit, merit!” and “Destroy the dens of neo-fascists!” They said, “Appointing 65 people without any tests or evaluations is unacceptable. An institution like Bangladesh Shishu Hospital must not conduct such opaque recruitments. We urge our respected teachers to ensure that doctors are appointed based on merit.”

While the government argues that these rapid appointments were made due to urgent needs, critics have labeled the process as non-transparent and suspicious. Experts believe that such secretive processes in a critical sector like healthcare could harm public health in the long run.

Public anger is growing. Many have demanded an independent investigation to ensure transparency in the recruitment process.

Though Dr. Yunus’s interim government had promised reforms at all levels, the secret hiring of doctors proves that the reformers have failed to eliminate irregularities. Strong demands have emerged for urgent measures to ensure accountability and transparency in the health sector.