E-Paper
Nursing officers’ recruitment: GMCH-32 launches probe into submission of ‘fake certificates’
The four-member panel will be responsible for verifying the authenticity of certificates of course on computer concepts; certificates submitted by all candidates during the recent recruitment process will be verified
The committee formed by Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, to look into the potential submission of fake certificates during the recruitment process of nursing officers launched an inquiry on Monday.
The four-member panel will be responsible for verifying the authenticity of certificates of course on computer concepts. Certificates submitted by all candidates during the recent recruitment process will be verified.
According to officials privy to the development, about 80% candidates who were hired for 182 vacant posts have submitted dubious certificates. They said many candidates submitted certificates from a Rajasthan-based institute.
It was clearly stated in the vacancy advertisement that only certificates issued by National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology would be accepted.
Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32 (GMCH-32) medical superintendent Sudhir Garg said, “We don’t have any mechanism to check the veracity of the certificates. Following reports of potential fraudulent submissions, a four-member committee was formed to verify the certificates.”
“We have written to the institutes concerned, requesting them to verify the authenticity of the certificates issued by them. Additionally, we have asked them to provide a report from the agency responsible for issuing the certificates,” he added.
Meanwhile, a video has been widely circulated on social media platforms, which purportedly claims that candidates could obtain a course on computer concepts certificate for ₹6,000.
Health secretary Yashpal Garg said an investigation is being conducted into both the video and the counterfeit certificates.
“If the allegations are confirmed, an FIR will be registered and the culprits will face consequences. No one will be exempted from punishment,” he added.
The recent development in the case has raised questions on the entire recruitment process. However, involvement of the third-party agency that conducted the written exam has not yet been examined yet.
How did the scam unearth
During the verification process after recruitment of nursing officers, GMCH-32 officials noticed discrepancies in the photograph and signature of one candidate. To check the possibility of more such anomalies, the authorities constituted a six-member scrutiny committee to collect details of all nursing officers selected on the basis of the written test.
During this process, five candidates did not appear before the committee by taking medical leave and later resigned with a 24-hour notice. The police have so far booked eight persons in the case and arrested three -- Rekhraj (candidate), Mukesh (middleman) and Joginder (impersonator). All three arrested accused are alumni of a nursing college in Jodhpur.
According to the police, Joginder had initially sought ₹5 lakh from Rekhraj and eventually doubled the amount after learning that it was a permanent job. It was a deal of ₹12 lakh, as ₹2 lakh was promised to Mukesh, the middleman, the police had said.
182 nurses hired through written test
GMCH-32 had issued advertisements for the recruitment of 182 nursing officers in December 2021. The recruitments were to be conducted on the basis of merit obtained in a written test and there was no provision of interview. An external agency was hired to conduct the written test, which was held at 39 centres in Chandigarh on August 28, 2022.
Total 10,594 candidates had appeared for the test, where videograph/photograph, thumb impression and signature of each candidate were taken.
The successful candidates were called for document verification and counselling that was held in three phases at GMCH-32. Subsequently, the selected candidates received an offer of appointment and were asked to report for medical examination.
