Thiruvananthapuram: Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan on Monday informed that talks with the Kuwaiti authorities have commenced to ensure the release of 30 Indian nurses which includes 19 from Kerala, presently in detention there.
Muraleedharan said talks at the highest level between India and Kuwait have commenced and there are technical issues over the license of the clinic where these nurses were working.
“Among the nurses who have young kids who are being breastfed, we have already made arrangements for them to be fed. Likewise, the Indian Embassy officials are in talks with the Kuwait authorities to see that they are released,” said Muraleedharan.
The detention took place following a raid by the Kuwait Human Resources Committee officials on a private clinic at Maliya in Kuwait City.
There are reportedly 19 Keralite nurses among 30 Indians in jail.
According to relatives of the Malayali nurses, 60 people, including the Indians, were caught during the raid on charges of violation of the foreign residency laws in Kuwait.
According to the Kuwait Home Ministry, the nurses did not have relevant licences or required qualifications to work in Kuwait.
However, the family members of the Keralite nurses claimed that they were qualified and had been working there with proper work visas and sponsorships.
Several of them have been working there for the past three to 10 years in the same clinic. People from the Philippines, Egypt and Iran have also been caught by the authorities on similar charges.
The hospital is owned by an Iranian national and according to the relatives of the nurses, a dispute between the owner and the sponsor had led to the raid and arrest.