Nine nurses safe in Iraq; but families still anxious

Nine nurses from Tamil Nadu’s Nilgiris district, caught in the conflict zone in Iraq, are safe as they spoke to their respective families here on Thursday.

“I will be happy if my wife comes back permanently,” says a worried Gincent of Dharmagiri at Gudalur in the Nilgiris. His wife, Sini (28), is trapped in the rebel held Ramadh area in Iraq. She is a nurse at Al Amber Government Hospital.

“She calls me every day and even on Thursday morning she called up. When I tried to speak to her later, a recorded message in Arabic said that the call could not be put through,” he said.

The couple have a three-and-a-half-year-old son.

Ms. Sini is among the nine nurses from seven families at Dharmagiri and Vimalagiri in Gudalur in the Nilgiris, who are working in various hospitals in Iraq. Mr. Gincent, a farmer, says he is now functioning as a coordinator for all the affected families in trying to source information about the stranded nurses.

Ms. Sini’s parents, who live nearby, are offering special prayers for her safe return at a local church. The crisis has also brought all the families together.

In addition to Ms. Sini, the others trapped in Iraq are: Neethu (24), Aleena (25), Mamitha (24), Simi (26), Sili (24), Jothi (30), Manju (26) and Ranju (24).

The nurses earn an average of Rs.45,000 a month, which means a lot to their families back in Gudalur. But now, the families want their bread-winnersback.

Keeping track of the developments in Iraq, Mr. Gincent is sceptical about the safety of his wife and the other nurses. “We hear that out of over 18,000 Indians in Iraq, 1500 are nurses. Since the number of rebels is swelling, it will not be possible to shield the hospitals like the one in which his wife is working. Hence, I will be happy if she comes back permanently,” he said.

District Collector P. Sankar said the administration was prepared to help the families in ascertaining the situation.

The Revenue and police officials are in touch with the families to check what kind of help they required.

CM’s SOS to Modi

Meanwhile, Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to take up the matter at the highest level in Iraq and with other International agencies, including the U.N. and the Red Crescent, to ensure the safety and security of 46 nurses from India, including nine from the Nilgiris.

Their families “are extremely anxious about the safety of these young nurses,” who had been rendering valuable service to the health system of Iraq, she said.