'Efforts on to rescue Indians from Kuwait', says Union Minister V Muraleedharan

Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan stated that efforts are being made constantly to ensure the release of over 30 Indians including 19 nurses from Kerala, who have been arrested by the authorities in Kuwait for allegedly not having valid work permits.

He said that about 60 people working in the Padra clinic in Kuwait were held and shifted by the authorities on September 12, to an immigration detention centre. According to the media reports, out of the 60 people, 30 are Indians and 19 of them are nurses from Kerala. 

He added that the Kuwait authorities have already confirmed that the Padra clinic does not have permission from the country’s health department to run a clinic or hospital and the efforts are continuously going on by the External Affairs Ministry and the Indian embassy to free them from the detention centre. 

It is still to be seen if the nurses, and workers had the licenses to work over there, Muraleedharan said.

Nurses have the required documents, say relatives

According to the local media reports, which cite the relatives of the nurses, states that the nurses have been working in that clinic for several years and they possess all the required documents.