Labour and Social Welfare Minister HE Abdullah Saleh Mubarak al-Khulaifi inaugurating the ICBF medical camp yesterday along with Indian ambassador Sanjiv Arora as ICBF officials look on.
By Ramesh Mathew
The Minister of Labour and Social Affairs HE Abdullah Saleh Mubarak al-Khulaifi has pledged his continuous support to the initiatives of the Indian embassy and its affiliate forums to protect the welfare of its expatriate work force through programmes including medical camps.
Inaugurating a free medical camp for low-income groups, organised by the Indian Community Benevolent Forum (ICBF) in association with Atlas Polyclinic at the West End Park Complex yesterday, he said his ministry was only too happy to work more closely with the embassies and their affiliates to bring maximum benefits to the expatriate work force.
“I would like to attend more of such activities like medical camps where the requirements of a considerable number of the expatriate workers are well taken care of,” the minister stated.
More than 1,300 South Asian workers, mainly Indians, residing in the accommodations of the Industrial Area, were the camp’s beneficiaries.
Indian ambassador Sanjiv Arora, who pointed out the larger significance of the day (September 5), which is observed as Teacher’s Day in India, expressed happiness to have HE al-Khulaifi, an academic and former president of Qatar University, as the chief guest at the opening ceremony.
In response, the minister recalled his long association with the members of the Indian expatriate community and said he had always enjoyed attending its functions and activities.
When ambassador Arora reminded that the medical camp coincided with the week long-festivities associated with the harvest festival of Onam, being celebrated by Keralites all over the world, the minister said he was very familiar with the celebrations held as part of the festival. “I also know there are a large number of Keralities in Qatar,” said al-Kholaifi.
Ambassador Arora said the day was so special to the ICBF as it was the first time in 10 years since the beginning of the medical camps that the community was honoured to have a minister attending its inauguration.
Seeing the presence of a large number of workers at the medical camp, the minister said he was extremely happy that so many expatriates were availing of the opportunity to receive free medical care, arranged by an Indian embassy-affiliated organisation.
While speaking to the ambassador, embassy officials and camp organisers earlier, al-Kholaifi explained the determination and commitment of the Qatar government to improve the expatriate workers’ living conditions.
The minister cited two “labour cities” coming up in the vicinity of the camp’s venue, near West End Park and Barwa al Baraha, which, he said, together would accommodate more than 100,000 workers of different nationalities soon.
Al-Kholaifi said that when completed the two labour housing facilities would have top-class facilities “with fewer parallels elsewhere”.
Indian embassy first secretary P Sasi Kumar and ICBF officials briefed the minister on their activities.
