Majority of the Nepali migrant workers employed in the Gulf and other industrialised countries of Asia do not have access to proper medical treatment. Consequently, many labourers breathed their last in foreign lands even from common illness like stomach disorder, viral fever, jaundice and malaria. A recently published report on The State of Migrant Health also referred to the ‘lack of timely access to medical treatment’ as the primary cause of death among the Nepali labourers in foreign countries. Reportedly, the workers either don’t notify the employers about their medical problems or try local therapies that are cheaper, lest they lose their jobs.

Some 1.4 million Nepalis are currently working in the Gulf and other Asian countries. If only

these workers had health insurance, they would not have to meet this fate. There is no proper mechanism to investigate the causes of the deaths, nor is there an accurate record on migrant labourers. The workers often submit fake health certificates while registering for jobs abroad. But given the rise in the number of deaths, this has become a serious concern. The government must specify provisions and direct the manpower agencies to lobby for health insurance cover for the workers while negotiating with the foreign companies that hire Nepali workers. This is the least the government and the agencies concerned can do for this lot, who annually bring in around Rs 65 billion in remittances.