Dispute between Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) approved medical centres and the government approved medical centres has hit Nepali workers ourflow.

Currently, only the half to about 700 Nepalis are leaving the country for major job markets – Saudi Arab, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar and Malaysia – while two months ago the number was 1,500. The destinations have been hiring nearly 90 per cent of Nepali migrant workers since 2001-02.

“Nepalis joining Saudi Arabian job have reduced to half following the dispute,” said president of Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies Som Lal Bataju.

“It has affected the complete migration process,” he said, urging the government to solve it as soon as possible.

According to him, workers migration to Gulf countries will further slide in the current month due to dispute.

Dispute that has started a decade ago and come to street in 2009 when the Nepal Health Professional Federation launched protest against GCC approved medical centres (GAMCA) is ongoing as the former protested against GAMCA urging the government to close it.

Some two months ago, the protest has started started again as the top hiring country Qatar decided to accept medical reports issued by GCC approved medical centres only.

Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman come under the GCC.

Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman had started accepting GCC approved medical centres reports since 2009 but top hiring countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE are also gradually accepting medical reports from GCC since 2010.

“The protest is against syndicate,” said president of federation Khadak Bahadur Shrestha. Following the protest from federation, the Department of Commerce had also issued order to close GCC approved medical centres.

The Nepal Health Professional Federation, some 179 medical centres registered under Foreign Employment Act 2007 that is leading the protest claimed that it is not targeted against the GCC approved medical centres.

“We are protesting for the rights of 179 medical centres registered for medical check-up with the government,” he said, adding that they are, however, not stopping medical check-up of migrant workers.

“Its GCC approved medical centres decision to stop medical check-up,” he said.

However, the federation has stopped seven medical centres to issue medical reports dragging them to apex court questioning their legal status.

The case currently is under the court.

Published on: 12 January 2012 | The Himalayan Times