The death rate of Nepali foreign job migrants from mid-April 2013 to mid-April 2014 increased by more than 21 per cent in comparison to figures from mid-April 2012 to mid-April 2013.

In the period between mid-April 2013 to mid-April 2014, of the total Nepali workforce that entered the foreign job market, 862 people lost their lives as against 677 in the previous year. Similarly, 104 Nepali migrants returned with disabilities in between mid-April 2013 and mid-April 2014, against 65 the previous year.

According to data of the Department of Foreign Employment, a total of 419,189 people left for foreign jobs between mid-April 2012 and mid-April 2013. Similarly, as per its data for the 11 months between mid-April 2013 and mid-April 2014, 446,260 Nepalis have gone abroad for foreign jobs.

Among those who lost their lives in a foreign land, 843 were men and 19 were women, and among disabled migrant returnees, 95 were men and nine were women.

Among the various destinations, the highest number of people — 299 — lost their lives in Malaysia — the most preferred destination for Nepali workers — followed by Saudi Arabia (233), Qatar (184), United Arab Emirates (57), and Kuwait (44).

As per data provided by the Foreign Employment Promotion Board — 139 workers died of cardiac arrest, 61 of heart attacks, 84 committed suicide, 120 lost their lives in traffic accidents, 131 died of natural causes, one was murdered, 56 died in the work place, and 272 died due to various other reasons like drowning and electric shock, among others.

In comparison to the period between mid-April 2012 and mid-April 2013, the death rate of Nepalis due to heart attacks doubled, and loss of lives due to traffic accidents increased by 26 per cent from mid-April 2013 to mid-April 2014. Heart attacks and traffic accidents cost 30 and 89 lives, respectively.

Furthermore, in the previous year, cardiac arrest was responsible for the death of 128 migrants, followed by suicide (73), natural death (106), two murders, work place death (28), and others (221).

Likewise, from mid-April 2013 to mid-April 2014, among disabled migrant returnees, 42 were from Malaysia. Similarly, the number of disabled migrant returnees from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain was 28, 12, 11, 10 and one, respectively.

Published on: 28 April 2014 | The Himalayan Times