Uncertainty looms over recruitment of around 850 facility managers in different government medical colleges and hospitals.

The reason: Ill-equipped and short-staffed West Bengal Health Recruitment Board (WBHRB), sole agency looking after entire recruitment process of medical teachers, doctors, nurses, technicians, non-medical assistant superintendents, facility managers etc required for government hospitals and health centres across the state, is reluctant to shortlist huge number of about three lakh applicants looking for a job in the post of facility managers.

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Sources in the health department at Swasthya Bhaban said that graduates in any discipline are eligible for the post. Around three lakh graduates have applied for the post soon after the WBHRB floated an advertisement in its official website more than one year ago.

“WBHRB has no proper infrastructure, including competent professionals required for short- listing applications of such a huge number of applicants particularly at a time when the state government is facing wrath of the opposition parties because of teachers recruitment scam,” the sources said requesting anonymity.

“The board has decided to engage an IT giant to complete the process of scanning around three lakh applications scientifically maintaining transparency. The IT agency has claimed huge money to accept the offer. The cash-strapped state government is not in a position to cough up more than Rs 10 crore to the agency.

No one knows when the recruitment would be done,” he added.

“It’s a difficult task to screen more than two-and-a-half lakh applications maintaining transparency within a stipulated period because the board has no proper infrastructure like competent professional human resource and electronic gadgets. We have decided to engage a big IT company to do jobs like screening of applications and organizing interviews of shortlisted candidates,” Dr Sudipto Roy, WBHRB chairman and Trinamul Congress MLA told The Statesman on Saturday.

“The IT company has charged Rs 350 for each applicant. We have sent a proposal in this regard to our health secretary and finance department seeking their clearance. Recruitment would start as soon as we get green signal from them otherwise it’s not possible for the board alone,” Dr Roy said.

After coming to power in 2011 Trinamul Congress government created facility manager post abolishing ward masters in public healthcare services.