KATHMANDU: Cardiac arrest is the major reason for unnatural deaths and rising number of Nepali workers dying in foreign labour destinations. The government statistics show that nearly 600 individuals lost their life due to cardiac arrest in last seven years.
More shockingly, the number of workers dying due to cardiac arrest is more than that from natural death. According to the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE), 577 workers died natural death while cardiac arrest caused death of 598 Nepali workers from mid-July 2006 to April 2014.
Cardiac arrest, also known as cardiopulmonary or circulatory arrest, is an abrupt loss of heart function and normal blood circulation due to failure of the heart to pump blood. Some causes of cardiac arrest include cardiac rhythm disturbance or arrhythmia, drug overdose, extremely high or low body temperature and severe oxygen deprivation, according to reports.
Qatar tops the list in terms of maximum number of workers dying from cardiac arrest (366), followed by Malaysia (117) and the United Arab Emirates (75). Likewise, 28 Nepali workers died in Saudi Arabia and four in Kuwait due to it, according to the DoFE. The record on Nepali workers dying abroad does not include individuals working illegally in respective countries.
Even as Nepali workers are mandated to receive certificates stating they are medically fit before they leave the country, the number of people dying has underlined the need for the government to come up with a policy that treat ‘unnatural death of workers as the case of murder’, according to Krishna Hari Puskar, director general of the DoFE. “Only around 10 per cent of total deaths are estimated to be natural,” he added.
Though in a low scale, the government has already started an initiative to reduce death rate in Gulf countries, Malaysia and South Korea, according to the DoFE. During the review period of nearly seven years, a total of 3,105 Nepali migrants, including 73 women workers died due to numerous causes, including cardiac arrest, traffic accidents (426), suicides (311), heart attacks (182), workplace accidents (231), murders (47) and others (733) in 20 labour destination countries.
Tika Prasad Bhandari, officiating executive director of the Foreign Employment Promotion Board said that on an average, two Nepali workers are losing their life abroad daily. He added that failure to come up with temperature acclimatisation during work and rest time and traffic accidents are some of the major causes behind the death of Nepali workers.
Based on number of workers losing their life, Malaysia, Saudi Arab, Qatar, the UAE and Kuwait are five top labour destinations where Nepali worker are dying for multiple causes. Of the total 1,023 workers who lost their life in Malaysia, the government has listed death of 500 workers under ‘other’ category without specifying the cause of death. The US, Italy, Germany, Libya and Maldives are the countries where one Nepali died in each country.
In case of traffic accidents, natural deaths and workplace accidents, record of workers dying is high in Saudi Arabia. Similarly, number of workers who died from suicide and heart attack is highest in Malaysia. South Korea, which is considered as a best labour destination, witnessed death of 39 Nepali workers, including 11 from suicide.
More shockingly, the number of workers dying due to cardiac arrest is more than that from natural death. According to the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE), 577 workers died natural death while cardiac arrest caused death of 598 Nepali workers from mid-July 2006 to April 2014.
Cardiac arrest, also known as cardiopulmonary or circulatory arrest, is an abrupt loss of heart function and normal blood circulation due to failure of the heart to pump blood. Some causes of cardiac arrest include cardiac rhythm disturbance or arrhythmia, drug overdose, extremely high or low body temperature and severe oxygen deprivation, according to reports.
Qatar tops the list in terms of maximum number of workers dying from cardiac arrest (366), followed by Malaysia (117) and the United Arab Emirates (75). Likewise, 28 Nepali workers died in Saudi Arabia and four in Kuwait due to it, according to the DoFE. The record on Nepali workers dying abroad does not include individuals working illegally in respective countries.
Even as Nepali workers are mandated to receive certificates stating they are medically fit before they leave the country, the number of people dying has underlined the need for the government to come up with a policy that treat ‘unnatural death of workers as the case of murder’, according to Krishna Hari Puskar, director general of the DoFE. “Only around 10 per cent of total deaths are estimated to be natural,” he added.
Though in a low scale, the government has already started an initiative to reduce death rate in Gulf countries, Malaysia and South Korea, according to the DoFE. During the review period of nearly seven years, a total of 3,105 Nepali migrants, including 73 women workers died due to numerous causes, including cardiac arrest, traffic accidents (426), suicides (311), heart attacks (182), workplace accidents (231), murders (47) and others (733) in 20 labour destination countries.
Tika Prasad Bhandari, officiating executive director of the Foreign Employment Promotion Board said that on an average, two Nepali workers are losing their life abroad daily. He added that failure to come up with temperature acclimatisation during work and rest time and traffic accidents are some of the major causes behind the death of Nepali workers.
Based on number of workers losing their life, Malaysia, Saudi Arab, Qatar, the UAE and Kuwait are five top labour destinations where Nepali worker are dying for multiple causes. Of the total 1,023 workers who lost their life in Malaysia, the government has listed death of 500 workers under ‘other’ category without specifying the cause of death. The US, Italy, Germany, Libya and Maldives are the countries where one Nepali died in each country.
In case of traffic accidents, natural deaths and workplace accidents, record of workers dying is high in Saudi Arabia. Similarly, number of workers who died from suicide and heart attack is highest in Malaysia. South Korea, which is considered as a best labour destination, witnessed death of 39 Nepali workers, including 11 from suicide.
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