By Watipaso Mzungu
Malawi’s Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) has penned the Executive Secretary for the Government Health Service Commission demanding information on the recruitment process for nurse and midwife technician (Grade K).
The coalition suspects that there were some irregularities in the way the process was conducted as evidenced by a legion of complaints lodged by the sidelined applicants.
“Recently, we have received numerous complaints from individuals who participated in the nurse and midwife technician recruitment process conducted in January and November 2024. These individuals have asked for our assistance addressing their concerns, which fall within our mandate to ensure transparency accountability in public processes.
“To assist in addressing these concerns, we kindly request the following information pursu to Section 5 read together with section 18 of the Access to Information Act and Section 1 the Gender Equality Act,” reads part of the letter.
HRDC national chairperson Kelvin Chirwa confirmed writing the letter requesting for the information on the recruitment process.
Chirwa said the coalition wants the Commission to provide information on the detailed recruitment process, including criteria and methodology for shortlisting selecting candidates.
The Commission is further tasked to avail a full list of candidates who attended the January 2024 interviews, their qualifications, and the full list of shortlisted candidates and their qualifications for November 2024 interviews.
Chirwa added that the coalition has also requested an explanation on the reserve list’s purpose and the criteria for placing and recruiting individuals from it, any policies or guidelines governing the recruitment process for nurses.
“We trust the Commission is committed to upholding its mandate with transparency and fairness. Providing this information will help address stakeholders’ concerns and strengthen pubic confidence in the recruitment process. In your response, we kindly request that share any relevant documentation supporting your explanation. We look forward to receiving your response within seven (7) days of receipt of this letter enable us to provide timely feedback to the concerned individuals,” thus concludes the letter.
There was no immediate comment from the Commission.