UAE firm offers job to 90 Indian nurses stranded due to job scam; 41 nurses appointed to various hospitals 

KOCHI: A prominent healthcare group in the UAE has offered jobs to at least 90 Indian nurses who have been stranded in the Gulf kingdom after they fell prey to a job scam, according to a statement.

VPS Healthcare, one of the largest healthcare groups in the UAE, has come to lend a helping hand to these nurses from Kerala after learning about their hardships. The group has been receiving job applications and inquiries from nurses for the last four weeks.

Sanjai Kumar, Chief Human Resources Officer at VPS Healthcare, said the group has selected eligible candidates through a special interview conducted recently. “We have given special consideration to eligible healthcare workers who have been trapped for a long time and facing financial issues. Forty-one health workers who have completed the process have already joined the hospitals under VPS Healthcare,” he said.

VPS Healthcare Chairman and Managing Director Dr. Shamsheer Vayalil has instructed his team to provide all possible assistance to qualified trainee nurses to obtain licenses.

''We will be initiating and assisting them in processing DoH/DHA Licenses. In addition to those who had already joined us, 49 more will be joining our medical team upon issuance of an Employment visa. All the relevant expenses, including their RT-PCR test and BLS above the usual regulatory expenses, are being taken care of by VPS Healthcare as a special case,'' said Kumar.

Meanwhile, health workers thanked VPS Healthcare for offering help during the crisis.

''I was working as a registered nurse in a leading hospital in Kerala. I came to the UAE with high hopes but was shocked when I found out about the scam. I have paid Rs. 200,000 to the recruitment agency. They had not returned us a single penny. I cannot go back to India in empty hands as my family is struggling to pay back the money we arranged to pay the agent. This job has come as a blessing to me. I am confident that I would clear the procedures to obtain the medical license. Also, I am happy to be back at work when our services are very much required for the community,” said Ambily MB, a resident of Kottayam district in Kerala.

Ambily, the mother of a seven-year-old child, came to the UAE along with her sister Asha MB hoping to find a solution to her family's financial crisis. The recruitment company promised to pay 4,500 dirham a month along with accommodation and food. VPS Healthcare has given a job to Asha also.

''What happened was unbelievable, and the agents were not even willing to return our money. The recruiting company had made big promises in their social media ads. They said we would be able to get work at the vaccination center immediately after the quarantine period, and the license was not an issue. They tricked all of us. When asked 20 days later, they had nothing to say about the job. So we applied to VPS Healthcare and other healthcare groups on our own,” added Asha.