Supreme Court Orders Government Not to Disrupt Health Test Clinics for Driving Licenses

Kathmandu. The Supreme Court has issued an interim order in the name of the government not to obstruct the service delivery of clinics that conduct health examinations for driving licenses.

Justice Meghraj Pokharel's single bench issued such an order while hearing the writ filed by Kalibahadur Thapa, operator of Sunaulo Medical Clinic, and others. The court has stayed the implementation of the recent decision of the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport and the Department of Transport Management and has ordered to continue services as per the previous arrangement. The applicant clinics had been providing health examination services after being selected and contracted as per the 'Working Procedure Directive for Providing Driving License Services, 2080' of Bagmati Province. However, the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport of the federal government, by writing letters on Jestha 13 and Ashar 13, 2083, made a decision to recognize health examinations conducted by all doctors registered with the Nepal Medical Council and to open the service to all clinics. This decision would adversely affect the business of clinics that had already invested after contracting and would lead to their 'user and password' being blocked, which led the clinic operators to approach the court.