Of the two Bhutan Civil Service Examination (BCSE) selected candidates who tested positive, after undergoing a mandatory pre-employment drug test for recruitment into the civil service, the Royal Civil Service Commission (RCSC) reconsidered one.
The candidate was reconsidered on medical grounds.
The Senior Human Resource Officer of Exam Division, Jigme Norbu, said the candidate was undergoing medication, where the prescribed drug is listed as a controlled drug by the Bhutan Narcotic Control Agency (BNCA). “The candidate was approved after verifying the prescription from doctor and other necessary documents required for the proof,” he said.
He said the commission has the provision to verify if the candidates are under any kind of medication, otherwise the candidates will be disqualified for employment in the particular year and will be offered to the next candidate in line.
“The candidate will be allowed to reappear the civil service examination the following year and follow the same process for recruitment,” he said. The identity of the candidate and drug is not shared for confidentiality.
However, he said the other candidate hasn’t reported with any medical evidence yet and the issue will be decided in the coming week. “We will wait until Monday if the candidate has any medical evidence,” he said.
The test was done in collaboration with Bhutan Narcotics Control Authority with the RCSC’s objective to support the national effort to deter drug use and maintain a drug free civil service.
The Royal Civil Service Commission (RCSC) will institute a mandatory drug testing system for both pre-service and in-service civil servants from January 1, 2018. The requirement is in addition to the medical certificate of fitness that is required for recruitment into the civil service.
The candidates are required to provide urine samples and the test kit detects about 10 different types of non-permissible listed drugs. The results show three to five minutes after the test is done.