Nurses Paid Kd 5,000 To Travel From Their Countries

08 February 2022 Kuwait

New information on the issue of private companies contracting nurses to work for government hospitals and health centers has surfaced, revealing that these companies terminated the contracts of these nurses at a time when their services were most needed, during the Covid-19 pandemic, when there was a severe shortage of medical and nursing staff, and when investigations revealed that these companies trade-in work permits and sell visas for huge sums of money ranging from 2000 to 5000 dinars.

According to Al-Qabas sources, the investigations also found that one company was accused of collecting up to one million dinars from these nurses and doctors within a few months in order to allow them to transfer work licenses to other locations.

While governmental agencies attempt to combat the visa trade, certain nursing staff recruiting firms continue to benefit from the medical staff trade' by manipulating, blackmailing, and exploiting their conditions after they have been brought from their home countries.

During investigations by the employment protection sector with hundreds of nurses and other nursing staff, senior sources at the Public Authority Manpower pointed out that these companies had terminated their contracts with the Ministry of Health and were blackmailed, extortion, and exploitation during the Corona pandemic, and many of them were forced to pay money to the company because there was no way out.

According to the sources, certain corporate officials have been questioned and interrogated regarding receiving money in exchange for passing contracts to the Ministry of Health, and legal action has been taken against them.

According to reports, the labor protection sector is continuing to fight the visa trade and referring numerous accusations to the Public Prosecution.

Hundreds of complaints have been filed with PAM in recent days, and investigations are still ongoing. According to the same sources, the authority has the jurisdiction to transfer the dwellings of all medical and nursing personnel impacted by the force of legislation to direct contracts with the Ministry of Health if the latter so wants.

 

According to reports, PAM has requested government agencies and the Central Tenders Committee to lower the rates of contracts with firms that supply medical professionals or human resources to government agencies so that direct contracting can satisfy the requirement.

According to the sources, the proposal includes lowering the percentage to 50% so that government agencies can get the jobs they need through direct contracting in accordance with the Civil Service Commission's regulations, which eliminates the need for tenders and contracts tied to the ministries' needs.

The following immediate activities are required:

  • Summon officials from nursing homes for questioning;
  • Report individuals participating in the visa trading to the prosecutor's office.
  • Work with the relevant authorities to contract directly with nurses
  • Implement a tight process to avoid medical and nursing staff manipulation and exploitation
  • Work to relocate the residences of individuals impacted without company consent

During this time, a number of nurses confirmed to Al-Qabas that they received a transfer from their companies to work for the Ministry of Health, but the ministry has yet to complete the procedures for hiring them, despite the fact that we worked in various hospital sectors before our companies terminated our services.

"We answered the tests and completed the transactions required of us in order to return to our work in the Ministry of Health," they continued, "but we are still stuck between the delay in approvals and the expiration of our work permits, forcing us to bargain with the companies that have sponsored us."

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