Nurses body files plea in HC, asks govt to bring back 56 pregnant nurses from Saudi Arabia

The United Nurses Association, a nurses union, filed a plea in the Delhi high court on Saturday, asking the Centre to bring back 56 pregnant nurses stranded in Saudi

The United Nurses Association, a nurses union, filed a plea in the Delhi high court on Saturday, asking the Centre to bring back 56 pregnant nurses stranded in Saudi Arabia.

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The plea, filed on behalf of the nurses, also said they be brought back on priority, as all of them are in “serious distress” and need immediate medical support.

The petition, filed by advocate Subhash Chandran KR, said the pregnant nurses have serious medical issues as most of them are in the third trimester of pregnancy. He argued that health care workers are regularly exposed to hazards that put them at risk of infection of Covid-19.

Saudi Arabia, as of Saturday evening, has recorded 52,016 cases of Covid-19, and 302 deaths.

The plea, likely to be heard next week, said these pregnant nurses have not got priority for repatriation in the first phase of the Centre’s ‘Vande Bharat Mission’. The second phase of the ambitious repatriation programme commenced on Saturday.

The petition said that as per the airline policy, a pregnant woman cannot travel after 36 weeks of pregnancy.