19 nurses from Kerala among 30 Indians detained in Kuwait for not having valid work permits; govt interferes

On September 12 the authorities detained and relocated roughly 60 staff members of the Padra clinic in Kuwait to an immigration detention facility. 30 of the 60 people, including 19 nurses from Kerala, are Indians, according to media sources.

New Delhi: Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan stated that continuous efforts are being made to secure the release of over 30 Indian nationals, including 19 nurses from Kerala, who have been detained by Kuwaiti authorities on allegation of lacking valid work permits. According to him, on September 12 the authorities detained and relocated roughly 60 staff members of the Padra clinic in Kuwait to an immigration detention facility. 30 of the 60 people, including 19 nurses from Kerala, are Indians, according to media sources.

The Kuwait Human Resources Committee authorities raided a private clinic in Maliya, Kuwait City, and held them there. The Kuwait Home Ministry claims that the nurses lacked the necessary credentials or licences to work in Kuwait.

The Keralite nurses' families, however, asserted that they were qualified and had been employed there with legitimate work visas and sponsorships.

The External Affairs Ministry and the Indian Embassy are constantly working to have them released from the detention facility, he continued, adding that the Kuwait authorities have already confirmed that the Padra clinic does not have authorization from the nation's health department to operate a clinic or hospital.

"Currently, there is no situation to be concerned about. Those who have babies have been given permission to see and breastfeed them,” the Minister said. There are five nursing mothers among the arrested Keralites.

Several of them have worked in the same clinic for the last three to ten years. Authorities have also apprehended individuals from Iran, Egypt, and the Philippines on related charges.