AGARTALA, August 5 (TIWN): The state cabinet today resolved to induct 59 new staff nurses in the Department of Health and Family Welfare, official sources said.A source in the state administration today said that the cabinet today decided to induct 59 new staff nurses to strengthen the rural healthcare infrastructure.

Fifty among them would be recruited from the reserved category of Scheduled Tribes (ST). The rest nine would be inducted from ex-servicemen category out of which 1 would be chosen from SC candidates, 3 posts were reserved for Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates. Five posts in the ex-servicemen category would be open for general candidates, the source said.

Health Minister Badal Choudhury recently stated that rural healthcare of the state had several lacuna. He said that the government would try to strengthen the infrastructure and manpower shortly.

In keeping with the effort from the health department, the cabinet today agreed for further intake of staff nurses.

However, there was no word about recruitment of junior doctors on adhoc basis in the department. Health Minister Choudhury said earlier in June that the Health Department had 113 posts of junior medical officers vacant. While the process for inducting medical officers went in vain despite several phases of notifications, the minister said that the Department was contemplating to induct junior doctors on adhoc basis to bridge the crisis of the malaria outbreak.

The adhoc doctors were supposed to be inducted by the next 15 days.

Meanwhile, malaria death toll rose to 78 with newer outbreaks of Japanese Encephalitis and dengue.

The department didn’t decide to induct any more doctors till date.

Asked about the issue, the source said that the cabinet had other serious priorities to be taken care of.

The source informed that the cabinet today further decided to induct seven stenographers under judicial service. Three among them would be posted at the office of the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s (CJM) court in West Tripura district.

Four others would be engaged at the West Tripura district and sessions court.