KATHMANDU: A study has found that most medical facilities conducting health screenings for foreign employment workers have been flouting standards.
A report prepared by a task force formed to improve health screening procedures for foreign employment workers has revealed that medical institutions have been issuing reports without conducting proper health examinations. The report states that many workers have been facing health issues after reaching their destination countries due to malpractice by medical institutions performing health screenings,
According to the report prepared by the task force led by Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Population, Dr Dipendra Raman Singh, some workers, who went abroad with health reports obtained without proper examination, have lost their lives.
Health screenings are conducted to reduce health risks for workers going for foreign employment. However, Singh said shortcomings were found in the health examinations conducted by designated medical facilities. “Health examinations determine whether workers can go to workplaces abroad. Some unhealthy workers have had to return due to health problems after going abroad with falsely clean health reports,” Singh said.
In the last fiscal year, a team of experts from the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security found that 60% of medical facilities targeting foreign employment workers were flouting standards. Based on the monitoring report, the labor ministry suspended the operations of 67 institutions. However, these institutions were later allowed to resume operations.
Workers, who have returned from foreign employment, often file complaints against the negligence of medical institutions with the Department of Foreign Employment. However, they say that the department has been absolving such medical institutions by merely imposing a compensation of Rs 10,000.
The study report states that the ministry’s annual monitoring lacks transparency. While 40% of medical institutions were found to be issuing fake health certificates to workers going for foreign employment, the ministry has not taken any action against them.
A labor ministry official told Himal Press that monitoring in the last fiscal year found that 60% of institutions were flouting government standards. Though 79 out of 215 such institutions were recommended for closure, no action was taken against them due to political influence.
Ministre for Labor, Employment and Social Security, Sharat Singh Bhandari, told Himal Press that the government will instruct institutions conducting health examinations for foreign employment workers to adhere to the standards. “We have studied past weaknesses. The task force report has highlighted both problems and improvements. In coming days, good performers will be rewarded and poor performers will face legal action,” Bhandari said. “We aim to develop all health institutions according to international standards and implement a single-door system for all countries. Preparations for this are underway.”
The Labor Ministry has registered 215 health institutions to ensure proper health screening of workers heading for foreign job destinations. Among these, Malaysia uses 36 institutions, GAMCA (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman) uses 19, and South Korea uses four. The United States and Canada conduct health screenings through the International Organization for Migration (IOM). For workers heading to Qatar, screenings are conducted through the Qatar Visa Center which, labor ministry officials claim, is also flouting government standards.
The Labor Ministry has set health examination fees at Rs 12,000 for workers heading to South Korea, Israel, Japan and European countries, and Rs 6,500 for those leaving for Gulf countries and Malaysia.
