JEDDAH: Mohammed Mateen, 24, a native of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, has been in a ward on the fourth floor of the King Fahd Hospital for several months having suffered kidney failure.
Mateen, the only son of a fruit seller, came to Hafr Al-Baten 18 months ago to work as a house driver. His sponsor instead employed him as a cook. “He made me work as a cook, but gave me practically no food to eat, no room to stay and no salary,” said Mateen.
The Indian national said that labor recruitment agents in India are tricking workers. “I was told that my salary would be SR1,000, but when I came here the sponsor told me he would give me SR400 and that this is what is in my contract. He also failed to give me that,” he said.
Mateen had no previous cooking experience and so failed miserably to prepare dishes. Fearing his poor culinary skills would lead to his sponsor sending him back to India and the inhumane treatment he suffered at the hands of his sponsor, Mateen ran away.
Mateen said he also fled because he had borrowed money to come to the Kingdom and that he would not be able to repay the debt if he returned to India. As a lone brother with four sisters, he is concerned about his sisters getting married.
For his eldest sister’s marriage, Mateen’s father sold the family home in Islampura, his only asset. The marriage, however, ended in a tragic way with his sister returning home after suffering at the hands of her in laws.
Mateen’s situation in the Kingdom worsened dramatically when he suddenly fell sick and could not get treatment at private clinics because he did not have a passport or iqama.
When his condition became severe, his friends took him to King Fahd Hospital where he was admitted in the intensive care unit as an “unknown patient.” It was here that he was diagnosed with kidney failure; both of his kidneys have stopped working leaving him in need of dialysis.
The King Fahd Hospital has provided Mateen with adequate medical treatment, including dialysis three times a week. The Indian Consulate has also issued him with a passport and, with the help of a social worker at the hospital, Mateen has been provided with immigration clearance and an air ticket to India.