NORCET Recruitment Scam: 4 Nursing Officers at RML Hospital terminated over failed biometric verification

New Delhi: A recruitment scam has surfaced at the Centre-run Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital after four nursing officers' biometric identity verification test failed to match the documents submitted during a common recruitment exam. As a result, the authorities have terminated their services.

Hospital officials have claimed that the four terminated nurses could not have appeared for the Nursing Officer Recruitment Common Eligibility Test (NORCET), as their photographs, iris scans, and fingerprints did not match the details they provided during the exam. The officials suspect that different individuals may have taken the test on behalf of the nurses.

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The incident has stirred controversy, with suspicions of a larger scam unfolding within NORCET. The test conducted by AIIMS to recruit nurses for central hospitals has come under scrutiny following these revelations.

The four terminated nursing officers had secured their appointments through NORCET, with two joining RML Hospital in 2022 and the other two being placed last year, reports TNIE.

An order issued in this regard mentioned, "On a careful consideration of the report of the Biometric Identity verification, the undersigned has concluded that Mr ** has committed forgery and fraudulently obtained the order of appointment. Therefore, the appointment of Mr ***, the Nursing Officer is void and bad in law and cannot be allowed to retain in public service. Keeping in consideration of the above, the undersigned terminates forthwith the services."

Expressing concern over the incident, the RML nurses union have alleged that this case points to a larger scam within the NORCET, where candidates are allegedly hiring proxies to take the exam on their behalf. The union claimed that the alleged practice may jeopardize patient care.

Asking the government to verify other candidates who have been recruited through this exam at other centre-run hospitals, Arun GS, President of RML Nurses Union told the Daily, "Almost 2,000 candidates cleared NORCET in the last two years and 200 of them have been placed at RML. What about the remaining 1,800 who are at other central hospitals? This incident has raised serious doubts about the credibility of the NORCET examinations. The government should verify all the candidates."

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