KATHMANDU: The Nepal Democratic Foreign Employment Business Association has expressed strong objection to the government’s decision to sharply increase medical examination fees for outbound Nepali workers.
In a statement issued today, the Association said the new rates, set to take effect from November 26, will impose an unbearable financial burden on migrant workers, most of whom come from poor and vulnerable backgrounds.
Under the revised structure, the medical test fee for workers going to the UAE has been raised from Rs 4,500 to Rs 9,500, while the fee for workers heading to other countries has increased from Rs 6,500 to Rs 9,500.
Association Chair Deepak Thapa said the decision to double the fee in one move was unjustified and disproportionately affects low-income workers. He noted that workers going to Gulf countries and Malaysia typically pay Rs 10,000, as service charges, making the medical fee alone excessively high.
The Association argued that most Nepalis seeking jobs in Malaysia and Gulf nations are from economically distressed families, with around 1,500 youths leaving Nepal daily for such destinations. The abrupt fee hike, it said, will further burden them.
It also pointed out that destination countries often do not fully trust medical tests conducted in Nepal and require workers to undergo fresh examinations upon arrival based on their own standards. “When the Nepal-based tests are merely a formality for labor approval, increasing the fee to this level cannot be justified,” the statement said.
The Association has urged the government to immediately withdraw the revised fee, warning that the decision adds unnecessary financial pressure on already vulnerable migrant workers.
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