Foreign employment: Over 4,000 dead in three years

KATHMANDU: More than 4,000 Nepalis died while on foreign employment over the past three years.

According to the Foreign Employment Board, 4,035 Nepali migrant workers died in various foreign job destinations between fiscal years 2020/21 and 2022/23. During this period, 870 workers suffered different types of disabilities or illnesses.

Data compiled by the board show that the number of workers who died in foreign job destinations increased by 5% in 2021/22, while it decreased by 1% in 2022/23.

Nepali workers in foreign countries die or suffer disabilities or illnesses due to various reasons such as the climate of the destination country, work pressure, alcohol consumption, conflicts among workers, family stress, lack of knowledge of local laws, technical errors in operating machinery and tools, traffic accidents, illnesses, workplace accidents, burns, suffocation and drowning, among others.

According to the board, 1,250 Nepali workers lost their lives in foreign job destinations in 2022/23. The highest number of deaths was recorded in Malaysia (27.96%), followed by Saudi Arabia (26.36%), UAE (17.98%), Qatar (17.23%), Kuwait (6.04%), and other countries (4.43%).

The growing number of deaths of Nepali workers, who leave for foreign job destinations after undergoing medical examinations in Nepal, cannot be considered natural. “Since a significant number of deaths occur due to natural, unknown and other causes, we suggest that authorities find the actual reasons behind these deaths, study available health facilities in destination countries, implement traffic awareness programs, and provide psychological counseling to reduce suicide rates, among other measures,” the Office of the Auditor General said in its annual report.