Paralysed Indian worker flown back home from UAE

Ras Al Khaimah - The minivan he was travelling in along with fellow workers was involved in a gruesome accident.

Gurmej Singh, the 54-year-old paralysed worker whose case Khaleej Times had shed light on, is now reunited with his family back home in Amritsar, India.
A road accident here in Ras Al Khaimah left him completely paralysed, putting Singh in a tight spot regarding medical bills and visa issues.
Prasad Sreedharan, a social worker with a medical committee recently constituted by the Consulate General of India (CGI) in Dubai, told Khaleej Times that Singh reached home on Saturday evening. "Some of Singh's friends and I went to the hospital and accompanied him to the Dubai International Airport, in one of the Saqr hospital's ambulances."
Khaleej Times first broke the news about Singh, who had just been five days into his job as a mason with a RAK contracting company, when his dream turned into a nightmare.
The minivan he was travelling in along with fellow workers was involved in a gruesome accident on one of the emirate's roads, leaving him fully paralysed and in the ICU at the Saqr Hospital.
"All my fellow workers sustained different injuries, but the impact of the accident left me completely paralysed," Singh said.
The Indian Consulate, alerted of Singh's case, took prompt action and immediately issued a stretcher ticket for the patient from Dubai to Delhi, and on to Amritsar.
The hospital bill has reached Dh125,000, Sreedharan added. "However, the legal firm involved in the case has given an undertaking to the hospital to pay that amount."
Singh's visit visa expired and he over stayed for five days, Sreedharan said. "The legal firm also paid Dh660 at the airport for due charges, in addition to Dh450 for clinic charges at the airport."
Sreedharan said they also managed to find another worker from Singh's home state of Punjab. "His company gave him a one-month paid leave to accompany the patient."
Gurmuksing accompanied Singh all the way from Ras Al Khaimah to Dubai, and then to New Delhi and finally to Amritsar. CGI Dubai also provided Gurmuksing a return ticket.
Many people came by to bid farewell to Singh. "These included Salam Pappanassery, advocate assistant with Ali Ibrahim Advocates and Legal Consultants; Sandeep Vellaloor, Sudarsanan from the RAK Yuvajana Kala Sahidi; and Anisudheen from RAK knowledge Village," said Sreedharan.
Singh was the only bread winner of his family. "His four daughters, a son and wife are all dependant on him, and we hope some good Samaritan employs either the son or his daughters, to secure some income for the family."
ahmedshaaban@khaleejtimes.com

• Ras Al Khaimah