It has refused to issue an interim order against the decision of Minister of Labor, Employment and Social Security Rajendra Singh Bhandari to waive the expanded health screening and fees for workers going for foreign employment.
What you should know
The Patan High Court has refused to issue an interim order against the decision of Minister for Labor, Employment and Social Security Rajendra Singh Bhandari to waive the expanded health screening and fee for workers going for foreign employment. A joint bench of Justices Rishi Raj Bhandari and Shiv Bahadur Ranabhat ruled on Thursday that an interim order is not necessary.
The Nepal Federation of Health Professionals and the Nepal Medical Professionals Association had filed a writ petition in the High Court demanding the quashing of the direct decision of Labor Minister Bhandari. Now, until the final order of this writ is issued, health professionals will be able to charge 19 types of health tests and 6,500 rupees for the fee.
On 23 Chaitra, the government, in order to reduce the health risks and accidents of workers going for foreign employment, amended the 'Working Procedures for Health Examination of Workers Going for Foreign Employment, Listing, Renewal and Monitoring-2072' on the recommendation of the expert committee as per the Health Institution Standards-2077 of the Ministry of Health and Population, the Report of the Study Task Force formed to improve the health examination of workers going for foreign employment-2081, and the Foreign Employment Regulations-2064.
Which had made the criteria for 34 types of health tests by adding health examination materials, improving the lab. The fee for that was fixed at 9,500 rupees. Earlier, 6,500 was fixed for 19 types of health tests.
On November 20, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Labor made a decision at the level of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Labor, and after monitoring, 171 health institutions that met the new standards were listed (newly selected) according to the 'Institutions for Health Examination of Workers Going for Foreign Employment, Listing, Renewal and Monitoring Procedures-2072 (Amended)'. 29 health institutions that did not meet the new standards have been removed from the list.
It took the Ministry of Labor 9 months to select health institutions by monitoring the health institutions that had added health examination materials and improved their labs according to the revised procedure. After the listed health institutions were selected, the health examination was expanded and the new fee was implemented.
The newly appointed Labor Minister Bhandari scrapped the new criteria after the Nepal Foreign Employment Entrepreneurs Association objected to the expanded health examination and fee. Nepali foreign employment entrepreneurs argued in favor of Labor Minister Bhandari's decision in court. Labor Minister Bhandari had said that it was not the employer's condition to test for all diseases.
The major tests added include blood tests (CBC, ESR, platelets), tuberculosis tests (chest X-ray, Mantoux test, sputum AFB), kidney function tests (serum urea, creatinine), hepatitis B and C, malaria, sugar, typhoid, etc.
In addition, it was arranged that the necessary tests for occupational diseases (respiratory problems, skin diseases, muscle and bone problems, cancer, diabetes, heart disease) should be conducted by dividing the risk groups of the workers according to their age and occupation.
