Tripura’s TPSC has sparked outrage after recommending medical officer candidates with scores as low as 14/100 in a crucial exam. Critics warn this undermines patient safety, healthcare quality, and public trust. The incident raises urgent questions about merit, reservation policies, and recruitment standards in the state’s health sector.
When someone scoring just 14 marks out of 100 in a competitive exam is deemed fit to become a doctor in Tripura’s government health services, one thing is clear—citizens had better brace themselves for a looming public health disaster. Whether one blames flaws in the reservation policy or an outright collapse in recruitment standards, the reality is alarming: the Tripura Public Service Commission (TPSC) has approved a batch of medical officer candidates whose scores raise serious doubts about competence, patient safety, and the credibility of the recruitment process.
The shock came on Wednesday when TPSC released its recommendations for the appointment of General Duty Medical Officers (GDMOs). Buried in the list was a startling detail—several candidates had qualified with less than 30 out of 100 marks, with some scraping through with 14.06, 17.05, and 19.45 marks. In a profession where even a minor mistake can cost a life, these scores have set off alarm bells across the state.
According to the results, out of 216 aspirants who qualified under Advertisement No. 07/2024 dated September 2, 2024, as many as 28 candidates scored below 30 marks—the lowest being barely 14% of the total possible score. Unsurprisingly, all these low-scoring candidates belong to reserved categories. While reservation aims to ensure fair opportunities for historically disadvantaged communities, critics argue that allowing such drastically low benchmarks in medical recruitment is a dangerous gamble with public health.
Even more surprising is the source of this revelation—none other than Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha himself. In an unexpected move, the CM posted the results sheet on social media, seemingly to highlight transparency. Instead, it exposed the extent to which recruitment standards have been compromised.
“In which country can someone scoring just 14 marks be recommended to become a doctor?” asked a senior retired health official. “Scoring 14 or even 20 doesn’t require medical training—any Class 12 biology student could achieve that without touching an MBBS textbook.”
The position in question—Medical Officer, Grade-IV of Tripura Health Service, Group-A (Gazetted)—is no mere formality. These doctors will handle emergencies, diagnose illnesses, prescribe treatments, and make life-or-death decisions daily. When the examination process fails to filter out underqualified candidates, the danger is not theoretical—it is immediate.
Tripura’s government has repeatedly pledged to modernize its healthcare infrastructure and transform the state into a medical hub. But the TPSC’s recommendations cast doubt on whether these promises can be fulfilled. On paper, hospitals may boast state-of-the-art equipment; in reality, they may be staffed by medical officers whose knowledge barely meets the most basic threshold.
The public backlash was swift and fierce. Social media erupted with disbelief and outrage after the marks became public. Some posts were grim, others sarcastic. “Next time I have a medical emergency, I’ll just Google my symptoms. It might be safer,” one user wrote. Another quipped, “So now saving lives is open to anyone who can get more than 13 marks? Incredible!”
Beyond the memes, this controversy has reignited a larger debate over the erosion of meritocracy in government recruitment. Reservation is enshrined in law to ensure representation for disadvantaged communities, but when applied without strict minimum standards in critical professions like medicine, it risks endangering the very people it is meant to serve.
The irony is glaring—leaders speak of improving healthcare quality and accessibility, yet recruitment practices like this undermine those goals entirely. Public trust in state-run healthcare depends on the belief that medical staff are competent and qualified. Once that trust is broken, even the most modern hospital will fail to inspire confidence.
For now, TPSC has issued no clarification on why such low scores were acceptable, nor has it indicated whether future recruitment will enforce mandatory cut-offs. The silence only deepens public suspicion.
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The core question remains: should patients’ lives be entrusted to doctors who have barely demonstrated even a quarter of the required medical knowledge on paper? In a state where healthcare services are already overstretched, the stakes could not be higher.
Until that question is addressed—and answered honestly—Tripura’s public health system risks trading patient safety for political convenience. And when that happens, tragedy will not be a distant possibility, but an inevitability.
