Despite all the hullabaloos about systematizing foreign employment, which is the mainstay of Nepal’s economy, two migrant workers continue to die abroad every day on an average.

And, if the latest government statistics is anything to go by, the death toll is on the rise this year. Nearly 250 Nepali migrant workers have died overseas due to various reasons in less than first four months of this year, according to data obtained by Republica.

The death toll of Nepali migrant workers has reached 240 from January to mid-April of 2014. The highest number of deaths has been reported in Malaysia over this period -- a whopping 83, followed by Saudi Arabia where 61 Nepali workers have died, and Qatar where another 53 have breathed their last.

A total of 828 migrant workers had died in the year 2013 in 15 different countries, mostly in the Gulf region and Malaysia. “The death toll of Nepali workers in foreign employment is getting even more worrisome,” admits Tika Bhandari, acting executive director of the Foreign Employment Promotion Board (FEPB), adding, “The number of deaths recorded in just four months suggests that the record may be much higher this year.”

File: Nepali migrant workers queue to receive official documents in order to leave Nepal from the Labour department in Kathmandu. (AFP PHOTO/Prakash Mathema)

The factor that is causing the highest number of deaths among the Nepali migrant workers remains cardiac arrest. The data obtained by Republica shows that altogether 53 died due to cardiac arrest between January and mid-April this year.

As expected, the authorities concerned are more than happy to pass the buck to the migrant workers and the recruiting agencies for the harrowing scenario. The death rate in foreign employment is still high as people don’t opt for foreign employment with proper medical check-up, according to the concerned officials.

“People are found of not doing full body check-up, including heart, kidney and liver tests before flying abroad for employment,” says Bhandari. He adds that the migrant workers should get their heart and kidney checked up in a bid to save themselves from life-threatening conditions.

Acclimatization is another major challenge. When a person goes for foreign employment, especially in a country with a much hotter climate such as the Gulf nation without proper acclimatization, he or she becomes prone to cardiac arrest. Bhandari further says that proper orientation about foreign employment is also another factor that can help save migrant workers.

According to the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE), there are around 1.2 million Nepali migrant workers in the Gulf countries; 500,000 each in Malaysia and Saudi Arabia, while 400,000 are in Qatar and 100,000 in Kuwait.

Published on: 20 April 2014 | Republica