OWWA awaits kin of Cebuano workers maltreated in Saudi

The regional office of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration is waiting for the families of Cebuanos who are among the more than 30 medical workers reportedly maltreated at a hospital in Saudi Arabia.

Rey Jacalan, OWWA's regional information officer, said no relatives from the workers from Cebu had approached their office for assistance.

The workers, who are part of the staff of King Fahad Central Hospital in Jizan, Saudi Arabia, were reportedly not allowed to go home and were not given salaries since January this year.

Jacalan said he learned that a relative of one of the workers sought assistance from a Provincial Board member in Negros Oriental. Five of the workers, who are employed as nurses at the hospital, came from Negros Oriental, he said.

The three-year contract of the medical personnel, who were hired through United Medical Group, had reportedly expired last October, but none of them were allowed to go home for an unspecified reason.

Should the relatives of the workers find the OWWA office too far from their place, they can go to the Public Employment Services officer in any city or municipality to coordinate with the OWWA office, according to Jacalan. - Ferliza C. Contratista