Bihar health dept botches up age cap for appointment of IGIMS director

The qualifying upper age limit, however, mentioned in the advertisement, remains 60 years, “relaxable for government servants or specially qualified and experienced candidates,” says the advertisement.

The Bihar health department has made a mistake in fixing the qualifying upper age limit and that of completion of tenure while issuing an advertisement for the post of the director at Patna’s Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS), an autonomous institution under the government of Bihar, people privy to it in the department said.

The Bihar health department issued the advertisement for director of IGIMS in October, but did not make the necessary changes. The IGIMS rules are based on the premise of AIIMS-Delhi. (Image used for representation). (GETTY IMAGES.)

The department, while prescribing age relaxation from 60 to 65 years in case of re-employment of government servants, has allegedly overlooked changing the age criteria for “tenure of post” in the advertisement.

“…the director shall hold office for the term of five years from the date on which s/he enters upon his/her office (till) s/he attains the age of sixty-five years, whichever is earlier,” reads the advertisement.

The qualifying upper age limit, however, mentioned in the advertisement, remains 60 years, “relaxable for government servants or specially qualified and experienced candidates,” says the advertisement.

It further says, “A government servant in the service can be appointed on deputation on foreign service terms up to a period of five years. Retired government servant can be re-employed. (Upper age limit relaxed up to 65 years in this case).”

Officials said the advertisement was fallacious.

“How can the qualifying upper age limit on relaxation in case of re-employment of retired government servant, and the maximum age bar against tenure be the same?” a senior officer in the health department pointed out to HT.

Sample this. In this case, Dr Nihar Ranjan Biswas, director, IGIMS, completes his term at the IGIMS on February 25, next year, while he attains the age of superannuation of 65 years in May 2022. Given the present eligibility criteria in the advertisement, Dr Biswas can re-apply for the director’s post, but will be eligible to serve the institute only for a few months, if selected, till he turns 65 years of age in May.

“The government should have either increased the tenure of director’s post beyond 65 years of age or kept the qualifying upper age bar lower than 65 years to allow an experienced incumbent a reasonable time to perform. Instead, it hasn’t changed the tenure age cap of 65 years while allowing age relaxation up to 65 years for retired government servants seeking re-employment,” said the officer quoted above.

The ministry of health and family welfare (MoH&FW) has raised the qualifying age bar from 62 years, prescribed for the director earlier, to 67 years, and also the tenure age bar from 65 to 70 years while issuing an advertisement for the post of executive director (ED) at each of the seven new AIIMS at Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), Bhubaneswar (Odisha), Rishikesh (Uttarakhand), Guwahati (Assam), Awantipora (Jammu & Kashmir), Patna and Darbhanga (both in Bihar).

The health ministry had issued the advertisement for executive directors of seven AIIMS in April. The state health department issued the advertisement for director of IGIMS in October, but did not make the necessary changes. The IGIMS rules are based on the premise of AIIMS-Delhi.

The last date for submission of application by candidates is November 15.

“The health department can still do a course correction by making necessary amendment to the advertisement and increasing the tenure age cap to 70 years, as done by the Central government for executive directors of the seven new AIIMS,” said another officer.

Senior state health officers did not respond when contacted.