Medicine for migrants

The telemedicine service for Nepalis abroad needs to be urgently expanded.

The story is getting old but still bears repeating. Remittance sent by migrant workers has been a lifeline for Nepal’s ailing economy for at least a couple of decades. Be it during an international economic recession, big natural disasters such as the devastating earthquakes back home in 2015 or prolonged crises like the Covid-19 pandemic, Nepal’s economy survived largely on the hard-earned money of migrant workers. They earned it by working in harsh conditions such as the scorching heat of the Gulf countries. Strict rules and regulations, language barriers and cultural gaps in the destination countries add to the challenge of their work and life. Though jobs in South Korea and Japan are considered attractive for Nepali youths, they often find the work there tougher than they had imagined.