Dubai, July 7 (IANS): The 46 Indian nurses rescued from a hospital in northern Iraq's war zone have been offered job opportunities in India and Arabian Gulf countries by United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based Indian entrepreneur Azad Moopen, a company statement said.
"We will recruit these repatriated and devastated nurses on priority at Aster Medcity, Kochi, MIMS Hospitals at Calicut and Kottakkal, and DM WIMS Medical College Hospital in Wayanad," Moopen, chairman of the Dubai-based Aster DM Healthcare, said in a statement.
"For those interested to return to the Middle East, we will accommodate them in our hospitals and clinics in the UAE, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia if they fulfill official requirements," the statement added.
The physician-turned NRI entrepreneur from Kerala has also offered cash assistance of Rs.25,000 (around $419) to each of the 46 nurses to meet their immediate requirements.
Moopen, who is also a director of the Kerala government’s department for Non-Resident Keralites’ Affairs (Norka), is the second UAE-based Indian to offer jobs to the nurses after Abu Dhabi-based NMC group head B.R. Shetty made a similar offer Saturday.
Moopen also lauded the efforts of the Indian government and the Kerala state government for bringing back the nurses and hundreds of workers safely from Iraq.
The statement asked the interested assistance seekers to register for jobs and collect financial assistance from Aster Medcity in Kochi.
Moopen especially appreciated the efforts of Kerala Chief Minister Oomen Chandy, who acted very promptly to address the issues, and Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for providing the necessary support.
Aster DM Healthcare employs about 4500 people in India and 5,000 abroad in over 170 establishments across the world, the statement said.