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7 Aug 2019

NGOs allege employers obscure true numbers of heat stress fatalities among Nepali migrants to the Gulf & Malaysia

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A study published in the journal Cardiology suggests that the numbers of Nepali migrant workers dying from heat stress abroad is far higher than official records. While fatalities of migrants in destination countries such as Qatar and Malaysia are attributed to cardiovascular disease and recorded as "natural deaths", the study draws a strong correlation between higher temperatures and mortality rates.

Workplaces in the assessed countries are falling far below the minimum health and safety conditions, with workers outside all day without being briefed on the dangers of dehydration. Many return home having developed kidney pains and in need of treatment or transplants, or in coffins.

In response, human rights activists claim that doctors in destinations countries "are aware of the actual causes of the majority of these fatalities, but are often bribed by employers to pass them off as ‘natural deaths’". They highlight how higher temperatures caused by climate change have increased the incidence of heat stress among Nepali workers, and recommend pre-departure trainings for migrants address the risks associated with working conditions in destination countries.