By Libya Herald staff.
Tripoli, 1 August 2014:
Indian nurses are now part of the latest wave of evacuations from Libya, with 58 leaving . . .[restrict]the country today by way of the Ras Jedir border crossing. The nurses, mainly from the Indian state of Kerala, are being bused from the border to Tunis and from there fly home to India.
This comes as the Indian government renews its appeals for all Indians to leave Libya. India’s Ministry of External Affairs said that more nurses would leave daily for the next three days, although today’s group was the largest. So far, only 118 total have signed up to leave.
The Indian government said it is also preparing to evacuate those wanting to leave Benghazi. Plans are being made to send a ferry or ship to Benghazi to transport the Indians to Malta. From there they would be flown to India.
There are approximately 1,000 Indians working in hospitals and clinics in Libya, making up about 20 percent of the medical staff in the country. Filipinos, who are being ordered by their government to leave, make up around 60 percent of medical staff.
With the potential loss of such a large percentage of its medical staff, Libya’s health care system is facing meltdown. This comes at a time when hospitals have recorded nearly 1,000 patients brought in for injuries in the armed conflicts taking place in Tripoli and Benghazi. [/restrict]
