Pregnant nurses stranded abroad seek assistance from Delhi HC to facilitate their return

Amid the Coronavirus crisis, a group of 56 pregnant women who are stranded abroad on Saturday approached the Delhi High Court seeking their return. According to reports, the United Nurses Association moved the petition on behalf of the pregnant nurses through advocate Subhash Chandran KR. 

About the plea

As per the plea, the 56 stranded pregnant nurses are healthcare workers and as such are exposed to hazards that put them at risk of COVID-19 infection. It stated that they are also in serious distress and need medical and psycho-socio support immediately.  Most of the nurses are also in their third trimester of the pregnancy, it said. Further, while 55 members of the petitioner organization are stranded in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, one member is stranded in Kuwait. The plea is set to be heard on May 18. 

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The petition stated that the pregnant women did not get priority for repatriation in the first phase of 'Vande Bharat Mission' as announced by India. Further, it also stated that as per the airline policy, a pregnant woman cannot travel after 36 weeks of pregnancy and all of these nurses are staying alone in Saudi Arabia as the country did not provide a family status visa to the staff nurses. 

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'Vande Bharat' Mission

In a major relief for Indians stranded abroad, the Centre had announced that their travel will be arranged via aircraft and naval ships in a phased manner. The Ministry of Home Affairs also issued the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the movement of the returnees. The mission was set for 7 days to rescue stranded Indians from over 11 countries in 64 Air India flights carrying over 14,800 people. 

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(With ANI Inputs)