Ministry Issues Health Worker Pay Digital Mandate for Equal Wages and Transparency
Health Worker Pay Digital
13th October 2025, Kathmandu
The Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) has taken a decisive step to regulate compensation across the healthcare sector.
Health Worker Pay Digital
The Ministry issued a firm directive to all government, community, private hospitals, and medical colleges nationwide.
This directive immediately enforces a five-point arrangement concerning the remuneration and service facilities for doctors, nurses, and other health professionals.
This health worker pay digital mandate is a critical move towards achieving wage equality and increasing financial transparency across the healthcare system.
Enforcement of Previous Directives
The MoHP noted that directives issued on Mangsir 27, 2081 (Nepali Calendar Date) have yet to be fully implemented.
Consequently, the Ministry has requested that all hospitals implement the provisions immediately. They must also submit a compliance report to the Ministry without delay. This strong follow-up action shows the government’s commitment to protecting the rights of its health workforce.
Key Provisions of the Wage Mandate
The directive contains several non-negotiable provisions designed to standardize employment practices and compensation.
Equal Pay Standard: No health institution can pay nurses and other health workers less than the standard set by the Government of Nepal. This ensures that minimum wage standards are consistently met across all facility types.
Overtime Compensation: If health workers work beyond the stipulated hours, the institution must provide them with additional overtime allowance. This correctly compensates workers for their extra dedication and time.
Formal Contracts and Digital Finance
The mandate introduces strict protocols to formalize employment and ensure transparent payment methods.
Formal Contract Requirement: Hospitals and educational institutions must enter into a formal contract (appointment agreement) with all health workers. This eradicates informal employment practices and ensures legal protection for employees.
Ban on Daily Wage Employment: The practice of hiring health workers on a daily wage (Jyaladari) basis is now prohibited. This elevates employment security for the workforce.
Digital Payment Mandate: A crucial component of the health worker pay digital mandate requires all salaries to be disbursed exclusively through the banking system. This eliminates cash payments, ensuring a verifiable digital trail for all transactions and minimizing financial exploitation.
Protecting Professional Documentation
The Ministry has also addressed concerns regarding the retention of professional documents.
Prohibition on Holding Certificates: Health institutions are explicitly forbidden from retaining the original academic certificates of their employees. This eliminates a coercive practice often used to tie workers to the institution.
Mandatory Experience Certificate: Hospitals must compulsorily provide experience certificates to health workers upon separation. This supports the career progression of health professionals and validates their work history.
Consequences of Non-Compliance
The Ministry of Health and Population is treating the implementation of this directive with utmost seriousness. The MoHP explicitly warned that it will initiate action against any hospital or institution that fails to comply with the instructions.
This threat of penalty serves as a strong incentive for immediate adoption of the new standards. The directive’s success hinges on rigorous digital monitoring and reporting by the Ministry, which will track hospital compliance via the required reports.
The enforcement of the health worker pay digital mandate marks a significant step toward integrating better labor practices and transparent digital finance into Nepal’s vital healthcare sector.
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