[Assam] [assam} Seven Indian Nurses Rescued in Saudi Arabia

[bhuban.baruah]

Times of India (may 15, 2012)


DUBAI: Seven Indian nurses stranded in Saudi Arabia without proper 
documents have been rescued and repatriated following intervention by 
the Indian Embassy.

The nurses were stranded in two separate cases without papers, an 
official working with the labour section of the Indian Embassy said.

"In the first case, four Indian female nurses - Ashley, Bindu, Aasha 
and Shely - came to the Kingdom five years ago to work in Aghsan Aliwy 
Hospital in Hafr Al-Batin," M Aleem said.

"The sponsor neither renewed the residence permits (Iqamas) of the 
workers nor did he allow the nurses to leave during vacations as per 
the provisions of the work agreements," he said.

Once alerted, the Indian Embassy established communication with the 
hospital officials and involved some local Indian community leaders.

"But, all pleas fell on the deaf ears of the sponsor, which finally led 
me to decide on a stronger course of action," Aleem was quoted by Arab 
News as saying.

According to Aleem, he then took the case to the Hafr Al-Batin deputy 
governor and the Director General of Health Mutlak Al-Khemyali, who 
extended full support in rescuing the nurses.

Al-Khemyali raised the issue with the directors of the Passport 
Department and Labour Office. He then called the Saudi sponsor to 
endorse the final exit visa and pay the air fares for the nurses.

"And thanks to the efforts of the Saudi officials, especially 
Al-Khemyali, that these nurses were finally repatriated to India last 
week," Aleem said.

In the other case, three nurses - Saramma Varghese, Subadhra Omana 
Kuttan and Sree Latha Vasudevan Nair - were rescued and repatriated.

These nurses were allegedly stranded after the new owner of a clinic 
closed down the organisation without giving any prior notice.

He also turned down requests to extend validity of their Saudi ID 
papers. These nurses had been working for the last 18 years and their 
clinic was handed over to another third Saudi citizen on an operational 
contract basis after their sponsor died.

The embassy succeeded in convincing him to grant the nurses final exit 
documents, said Aleem.

The nurses were later sent back to India.