RIYADH, 1 October 2006 — The Indian Embassy is considering plans to set up an emergency fund to help Indian workers in distress, announced R. Muraleedharan, convener of the Federation of the Kerala Associations in Saudi Arabia (FOKASA), at a news conference here.
Members of several Kerala associations involved in the fundraising scheme, including Shaji Alappuzha, Suresh Kumar Nair and Jose M. George, attended the news conference.
The media was briefed about the blueprint of an emergency treatment plan for thousands of Indian workers employed in the unorganized sector such as livestock farms, camel owners and other small establishments with a work force of 10 employees or less.
Elaborating on Muraleedharan’s statement, Suresh Kumar said that since these employees do not earn more than SR 600 a month, they find it difficult to bear the cost of treatment when they fall sick. Their plight is compounded by the fact that sometimes they do not even receive regular salaries for months on end.
According to Shaji, FOKASA’s representatives met with Indian ambassador M.O.H Farook to draw his attention to the difficulties of the workers. He said that the ambassador has promised to do his best by seeking the permission of the Indian government to divert part of the funds of the Indian Embassy to help these workers.
The target is to create a fund amounting to SR 250,000. Contributions to it will come from the embassy’s welfare section, well-to-do Indian expatriates and fund-raising campaigns through cultural programs. The fund will be administered by the embassy.
Asked how the emergency fund would be used, Muraleedharan said it would target poor Indian workers facing medical emergency, such as respiratory failure, pneumonia, acute asthma, stroke and other severe ailments. The association has entered into an agreement with some polyclinics for the treatment of workers.
Those eligible under the scheme will have to pay SR50 a year. Periodic medical camps will be organized by transporting workers from the outlying areas of Riyadh such as Al-Kharj, Durma and Al-Hair. The workers will be examined by a team of specialists from various clinics and hospitals in Riyadh. Such camps will be organized at least once a month.
In case, an employee is in need of long-term treatment which requires his hospitalization, the beneficiary will be paid SR2,000 toward air fare to enable him to undergo treatment in his home state in India.
The members pointed out that petitions are also being sent to members of Parliament in New Delhi to mobilize their support for the scheme. As for the ceiling on aid, a maximum of SR10,000 would be allowed for medical treatment directly to the polyclinic or the hospital where the patient has been admitted. FOKASA is working out an arrangement by which these medical establishments will admit the patient immediately and not insist on payment beforehand. An arrangement will be in place for providing financial guarantee on behalf of the patient in order to facilitate prompt treatment.
