Kathmandu, Dec 20: Labour, Employment and Social Security Minister Rajendra Singh Bhandari has revoked the decision to raise health examination, medical fees for workers going abroad for employment.
Minister Bhandari made a minister-level decision on Poush 4 to cancel the increased medical fee that had been approved earlier when Sharat Singh Bhandari was the labour minister.
Under the earlier decision, the medical fee had been raised from Rs 6,500 to Rs 9,500.
The ministry had said the Rs 9,500 fee was fixed based on a recommendation from an expert committee to conduct 34 different types of medical tests for workers heading abroad.
At the time, the decision drew widespread criticism, with concerns that it added an extra financial burden on workers. There were also allegations that the fee hike was made in collusion with medical business operators.
The increased medical fee had come into effect from Mangsir 10.
After implementation, manpower agencies and rights activists again protested from all sides, saying workers were being financially exploited. They had demanded an immediate reduction in the fee.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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