August 1: The Labor Hospital Construction Feasibility Study Task Force submitted its 35-page report to Minister for Labor, Employment and Social Security Sher Bahadur Kunwar on Sunday. The study team submitted the report after studying the feasibility of the resources required for the construction of labor hospitals in different parts of the country.

The report mentions the needs, objectives, rationale, efforts, mandate, resource management, possibilities and challenges of constructing labour hospital in Nepal. In addition, the task force also conducted on-site discussions, studies and monitoring in Biratnagar, Bara and Bhairahawa for the construction of hospitals.

Realizing the need of labor hospital in Nepal, the task force made 13 suggestions for the construction of such hospital.

According to the task force, about Rs 20 billion will be required in addition to 10 bighas of land for the construction of the hospital with 500 to 1,000 beds and in the long term it needs up to 25 bighas of land. However, the task force suggested that the construction should not be stopped because of the land issue and that the construction of the hospital should be started even if just 5 bighas of land is available.

Dipak Kafle, coordinator of the task force and Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Labor, said that the hospital needs to be constructed as soon as possible as the government has already agreed in principle to construct the labour hospital.

The task force concluded that it would be appropriate to establish a Labor Hospital Development Project Office under the ministry to immediately issue an order for the construction and operation of a labor hospital and complete the administrative work of land acquisition.

The report also mentions consultation and suggestions of various agencies regarding the search for suitable location for the establishment of the labor hospital and the method of operating the hospital.

The government decided to proceed with the establishment of Labor Hospital in Nepal through the cabinet meeting on February 17, 2022, handing the responsibility to the Ministry of Labor.

A task force was formed to study the feasibility of constructing a labor hospital with representatives from the Ministry of Health, Forestry and Land on how to proceed with the implementation process, under the coordination of Joint Secretary Dipak Kafle of the Ministry of Labor.