Is It Fair for Employees to Pay for Mandatory Medical Exams in Nigeria?

My organization in Nigeria has asked all staff to undergo medical examinations because they believe some employees who were hired less than a year ago are frequently taking sick leave, while the older staff members have not been facing health challenges. Although this initiative is welcomed by all staff, the issue arises as management expects the staff to cover the costs. Is this approach appropriate?

Thank you.

Excuse me, but I find this situation quite amusing. Employees typically take leaves, often making various excuses. However, are they exceeding their leave limits to the extent that management has decided to have them all undergo medical check-ups? I believe this is merely a management strategy to deter employees from taking leaves, and thus they want the employees to bear the cost.

If employees are not taking more leave than they are entitled to and their performance remains unaffected, it should not be a significant issue. Instead, you should encourage employees to take vacations to utilize their leaves while maintaining regular attendance at other times.

I am not familiar with your country's laws; however, employers should typically bear the cost if they require a medical examination.

Regards,
Sam

Sam has mentioned a valid point—as long as the employees don't exceed their Medical Leave Limit, what's the problem? Or is it that they have exceeded the Leave Limits, and so the management wants the Medical Examinations to be done?

Medical Leave Policy

What is the Medical Leave Policy of your company? When the company wants the medical tests done, it's for them to bear the costs—either get it done through some tie-up with a hospital (so that the company can negotiate the total cost) or reimburse the costs to the employees upon submission of bills. Usually, for such situations, this approach would be better.

Regards,
TS

Legal Considerations for Medical Examinations in Nigeria

First, check what the legal position is in Nigeria. I wonder whether they have any labor law and if so, whether there is any provision for such a situation.

However, asking those already on the job to produce a medical certificate at their cost is improper, to say the least, and meaningless. Even if they are forced, they will manipulate such a certificate, and it is no guarantee that they will not fall sick.

Implementing a Medical Board for Employee Health Evaluation

Going by Indian practice, you can always have a regular medical board of two or three doctors. They need not be engaged full-time but can be on call. Employers can always refer their employees periodically or when there is frequent sickness to such a board for a medical evaluation and to ascertain whether they are fit to be engaged in the given job. For example, a driver can be medically examined for his vision, night vision, hearing, leg and arm movement, and mental alertness. If the board finds shortcomings in these areas, he can be offered an alternative job for which he is fit, or he can be medically terminated without blemish with all past dues.

The same applies to data entry operators, cooks, machine operators, and so on. You can provide for these situations and the medical board in your Standing Order or HR manual. When recruiting employees, they should undertake to abide by the Standing Order or manual. These practices are in accordance with international norms. Ensure that you have a manual or Standing Order to cover these situations.

Regards,
O. Abdul Hameed
Formerly Addl. Commissioner ESIC
[Email Removed For Privacy Reasons]

The rules are different from country to country. In India, the company has to bear the costs for routine/pre-employment medical examinations. If a company wants its employees to undergo a medical examination, the cost shall be borne by the company only.