The Labour, Employment and Social Security Ministry has started inspection of health institutions that have expressed their interest to conduct medical check-ups of outgoing migrant workers.

In a bid to allow more health facilities to conduct such medical check-ups, the ministry on March 27 opened the registration for all the private and government hospitals to join the process in a move that is aimed at ending years of syndicate in the sector.

According to the Labour Ministry, a total of 126 new medical facilities from across the country have applied for permit to conduct medical tests of aspiring migrant workers.

Narayan Regmi, a ministry spokesperson, told the Post that a special team consisting of health experts and officials from the ministry will visit each and every health facility that has applied for conducting medical check-ups of migrant workers.

“The team will reach the location and ensure whether the applicants meet the required standards for conducting medical check-ups,” said Regmi.

A total of four teams have been deployed to inspect the medical centres.

Three teams, which will be responsible for investigating interested medical facilities inside Kathmandu Valley, will have 10 days for conducting on-site inspections.

The other team, mandated to examine hospitals and clinics outside the Valley, has been given 15 days to complete their assessment and recommend names of health institutions which can be allowed to conduct medical check-ups of migrant workers. Each team includes three health experts from the Ministry of Health and Population and a section officer from the Labour Ministry.

The Labour Ministry opened registration for new health facilities nearly after five years. As per the last registration, a total of 226 such centres were conducting health check-ups of migrant workers.

“The number of such facilities which are well equipped to perform fitness tests has gone up since the previous opening of the registration. We have to end the monopoly as well as allow others to provide services,” added Regmi.

The Labour Ministry had also invited applications from health institutions interested in conducting fitness tests of people aspiring to work in Malaysia.

Since the government has scrapped erstwhile agencies engaged in providing pre-departure services after they were found charging hefty amounts on Nepali workers for Malaysia, the Labour Ministry had to hire new health facilities as per the new health examination standards sent by the Malaysian side last month. A total of 290 medical firms from various districts have applied for permit to conduct health check-ups of Nepali workers for Malaysia.