KATHMANDU, May 21: For thousands of Nepali workers, the dream of foreign employment often begins with debt and uncertainty in their own villages—long before they ever reach the airport. But a government investigation meant to expose exploitation in that journey has now itself become a mystery.
A task force formed by the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security (MoLESS) to investigate serious irregularities in health screening for migrant workers—including overcharging, fake medical reports, and certification of unfit individuals as “fit” for foreign jobs has prepared a detailed report. Yet, shockingly, the document, along with key evidence, is now reported missing from the ministry itself.
The task force had been mandated to examine widespread complaints of a growing medical syndicate in foreign employment processing. Workers were allegedly being forced into unnecessary medical tests, sometimes even before securing job placements, and subjected to repeated screenings that drained their limited savings.
But what the investigators say they uncovered went far beyond routine malpractice. According to a member of the task force, the probe revealed a deeply organized system of financial manipulation involving medical institutions, manpower agencies, and intermediaries.
“In some cases, when only 70 workers were required abroad, medical tests were conducted for up to 700 people,” one member said. “That alone generated millions in illegal collections.”
The report—submitted to the MoLESS in a bundle reportedly wrapped in white cloth—contained monitoring findings, financial records, institutional details, and documentary evidence.
CIB seeks investigation file related to the misappropriation of...
“We worked for months to build this,” said another member of the task force. “We managed to photograph only part of the evidence. The rest was submitted as hard copies. Now we are being told the entire file is missing.”
The disappearance of the report has raised uncomfortable questions within the system it was meant to investigate. Task force members say the document had been submitted to the then Labor Minister Rajendra Bhandari, but political transitions and administrative reshuffles stalled further action.
“We handed it over to the minister at the time,” another member said. “After the government changed, we were told the file could not be found in the ministry.”
Some members now suspect the matter may be more than negligence. Given the sensitivity of the findings—reportedly involving powerful individuals and institutions—they believe the file may have been deliberately made to disappear.
The investigation itself had exposed disturbing practices in Nepal’s foreign employment medical system: workers traveling to Kathmandu on borrowed money, undergoing repeated tests costing Rs 25,000 to 30,000 per round, and falling into deeper debt cycles.
“Even sick workers were declared fit, and reports were prepared without proper tests,” one member said. “This is not just irregularity—it is organized crime.”
Former Labor Minister Rajendra Bhandari, however, denies negligence. He said he initiated action against medical syndicates and fee manipulation and had deployed monitoring teams during his tenure.
“The work was underway, but elections were announced and the process got interrupted,” he said. “Before leaving office, I briefed the incoming minister and left the report behind.”
He expressed surprise over claims that the file is missing. “Even if the hard copy is gone, there should be a soft copy. A fresh investigation can still be done,” he said, while also hinting that syndicates and middlemen may be involved in the disappearance.
Meanwhile, MoLESS Spokesperson Pitambar Ghimire confirmed that while the task force report had been prepared, it is currently not traceable within the ministry.
“We have searched for it extensively, but the file has not been found,” he said.
Beyond the missing report, the case points to a wider breakdown in Nepal’s foreign employment system. Complaints from Nepali embassies abroad frequently cite mismatched medical reports, denied insurance claims, and workers being sent overseas under misleading conditions.
Stakeholders say insurance claims are often rejected due to procedural gaps, while pre-departure orientation programs are reduced to mere formalities.
For experts, the missing file represents more than administrative failure—it symbolizes the erasure of evidence in a system already accused of exploiting some of the country’s most vulnerable citizens.
As scrutiny grows, one question now hangs over the entire episode: was this simply a lost document or a deliberately buried investigation into a deeply entrenched syndicate?
