Tuesday 16 / April / 2024
Muscat: Indian expats in Oman who went home on the first repatriation flight organised from Muscat say they are grateful to be going home to tend to urgent matters that could not wait for the COVID-19 outbreak to subside.
Priority to board was given to those passengers who needed medical attention, with many on board going to India to seek further treatment and continue their recuperation. One of them was K Sudhi, a Keralite man who was a last-minute addition to the passenger list, after he’d suffered an eye injury at his place of work in Salalah.
“While I was at work, an object entered my eye, and I faced a lot of difficulties because of it. Now, having gone to the doctor's, he has told me that removing this here will be difficult, so it will be better to do so in Kerala,” he said. “The doctors asked me to get in touch with the Indian embassy, to see if I could try and get a seat on this plane. The embassy have helped me a lot.”
Another on board was NU Mohammed Ali, an expat who’d lived in Oman for 38 years. Having recently undergone appendix surgery, he was allowed to travel to India for post-operative care. He, however, wishes to come back to Oman once he’s gotten better.
“I feel very happy that I am now going to be able to go back to India,” said Ali, who is in fruit and vegetables supply business. “I need to go back to India because I had an operation. So to continue my treatment, I need to travel home urgently. I think I will spend about four months there, get well, and then come back to Oman.”
The first option to board was also given to pregnant women and those who needed to take care of the elderly back in India. While Shamna needed to go home because she was expecting to deliver her baby soon, and would be unable to travel after this week, her fellow Indian resident in Oman, Shibi, was flying back to take care of her mother, who is critically ill.
“All of us are in a lot of trouble because of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis,” said Shamna. “I am in a similar situation...I cannot travel after this week because I am pregnant, so there was excellent cooperation from the Indian embassy. I was able to travel, particularly because of their cooperation with the Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre (KMCC)."
“There is so much joy because I am coming home, but that is possible because of the cooperation of the embassy and organisations that look after expatriates like us,” she added. “There are still many people in situations similar to mine who need to go home, and I hope the embassy and organisations like the KMCC can help with their repatriation.”
With her mother currently receiving critical care, Shibi wanted to travel home to be by her side, and thanked those who’d helped her get home for helping her during her time of need.
“My mother is critically ill and she is receiving supportive care,” she said. “I am really thankful to the government of India and the Indian embassy here for giving me this opportunity to travel. I am really grateful for all the help I have gotten. I have no words to express my gratitude. Thank you everyone, thank you my family for supporting me, and my friends for supporting me.”
