Rescue Indian Migrant Workers stranded in Gulf countries as they are denied COVID-19 treatment, facilities: Plea in Supreme Court

A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking to rescue over 9 million Indians employed in the Gulf countries during the COVID-19 outbreak, on concerns that these migrant workers are being "denied treatment in hospitals even after testing positive.".The plea by a migrant welfare society named Pravasi Legal Cell, drafted by Advocate Jose Abraham prays for the Court to direct the government to make "appropriate arrangement to rescue and bring the Indian migrants stranded in Gulf countries who are living in vulnerable condition in labour accommodations.".Substantiating the need for such a direction, the petitioner has stated that since the Gulf countries want to attend to their citizens first, the migrant workers are not being given treatment.."The migrant workers in the Gulf countries are being denied treatment in the Hospitals even after testing positive for COVID 19 and are told to stay back in their house or camps itself. This is because the number of patients who are getting infected is going up, there is a shortage of beds in government hospitals."Pravasi Legal Cell.The plea has also sought the Court's intervention to ensure that the migrant workers experiencing symptoms have access to timely testing and medical facilities, as absence of the same would result in high risk of transmission, owing to the cramped conditions in which they reside..The plea notes that the conditions in those camps are worsening by the day and that the government is under a Constitutional obligation to take care of these Indian citizens.."(The) Nature of injury caused or likely to be caused to the public is that the poor migrant workers in Gulf countries are left with no proper remedy and their situation is so worsening day by day. They are very much citizens of India and the government is under constitutional obligation to protect their interest in this extraordinary time which has threatened the very existence of the human race", the plea states..The Pravasi Legal Cell has also prayed for appropriate steps to ensure that adequate food, medicines, quarantine and emergency service facilities are provided to these persons..The plea notes that the Indian government did operate flights to bring back Indian citizens from other countries but "did not make any effort to bring back the stranded Indians from gulf countries.".The migrant welfare legal cell also has prayed for financial aid to those migrant workers who have been rendered jobless in the wake of this pandemic.