The government has scrapped the new standards related to medical testing and fees for Nepali migrant workers. Labour, Employment and Social Security Minister Rajendra Singh Bhandari revoked the standards through a ministerial decision on Friday.

The Labour Ministry, on November 16, expanded the scope of medical examinations to include 34 types of tests and set a new fee of Rs9,500. The ministry had claimed that the decision was taken with the stated objective of ensuring quality health assessments for workers going abroad. Minister Bhandari said the new standards were scrapped following directives from Prime Minister Sushila Karki.

Ministry spokesperson Pitambar Ghimire said that the prime minister instructed the ministry to revise the decision after migrant workers and foreign employment agencies complained that the fee increase was not in the workers’ interest.

“As per the directive, the ministerial decision has cancelled the fee increase,” a statement issued by the ministry said. The ministry has instructed health institutions conducting migrant workers’ medical tests to continue operating with the previous fee structure and requirements. The earlier fee was Rs6,500.

The cancelled standards had added major tests such as blood tests (CBC, ESR, platelet), tuberculosis screening (chest X-ray, Mantoux test, sputum AFB), kidney function tests (serum urea, creatinine), hepatitis B and C, malaria, sugar, typhoid, and several others.

The standards had also required risk-based screening for occupational diseases, including respiratory problems, skin conditions, musculoskeletal issues, cancer, diabetes and heart disease. The ministry has now said workers are no longer required to undergo these added tests.

The expanded medical testing guidelines were originally based on recommendations from a 30-member high-level expert task force led by then Health Ministry Additional Secretary Dipendra Raman Singh. The task force had advised enhancing laboratory standards, adding tests, and broadening the scope of examinations to reduce health risks and workplace accidents for migrant workers.

On March 21, the government passed a seven-point resolution to strengthen and systematise the health testing process for outgoing migrant workers, citing provisions in the Health Institution Standards 2020, the report of the 2024 task force on migrant workers’ health assessments, and recommendations from a specialised committee under the Foreign Employment Regulation 2008. Acting on this, the government on November 20 issued a decision to evaluate health institutions and list those meeting the new standards.

A total of 171 institutions were shortlisted, while 29 were removed for failing to meet the revised criteria. The ministry took nine months to inspect health institutions and assess improvements in testing equipment and laboratory systems before selecting them.

After the listing, the government introduced expanded tests and increased fees. However, Minister Bhandari stated that the requirement for workers to undergo testing for all the listed diseases did not align with the demands of foreign employers.

“We cannot assume that migrant workers must be screened for every possible illness,” he said. “These tests are not even required by employers. We believe the Rs6,500 testing cost should also be covered by health insurance.”

The task force led by Singh had categorised health risks for migrant workers into eight groups.

According to the Foreign Employment Board, of the migrant workers who die abroad each year, 7 percent die in workplace accidents, 12.7 percent in road accidents, and 11 percent by suicide. The remaining 67 percent of deaths are recorded as ‘natural’, ‘sudden death’, heart attack, ‘unnatural’, or kidney failure on health certificates. On an average, around 1,000 migrant workers die annually, with 1,500 deaths recorded in the last fiscal year.