Gaddam Mohan, a Telangana worker in critical condition at a Riyadh hospital. Photo: Supplied

Critically ill worker to be airlifted from Riyadh to Hyderabad

Family seeks government intervention as air ambulance costs prove unaffordable.

by · The Siasat Daily

Hyderabad: The Telangana government has initiated efforts to facilitate the medical evacuation of a 45-year-old Indian worker from Saudi Arabia after his family sought urgent assistance to bring him to Hyderabad for advanced treatment.

Gaddam Mohan, a native of Rudrangi mandal in Telangana’s Rajanna Sircilla district, is undergoing treatment in critical condition at Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz Hospital in Riyadh. His son, Gaddam Arun, submitted a petition through the CM Pravasi Prajavani to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Vemulawada MLA and Government Whip Adi Srinivas, requesting his father’s emergency transfer to India.

According to the petition, Mohan travelled to Saudi Arabia about nine years ago to work as a plastering mason to support his family. The family said it could not afford the cost of an air ambulance and appealed to the Telangana government to coordinate with the Embassy of India in Riyadh and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to facilitate his transfer on humanitarian grounds.

Manda Bheem Reddy, Vice Chairman of the Telangana Government’s NRI Advisory Committee (left), receives a petition from Gaddam Arun, son of critically ill worker Gaddam Mohan, at the CM Pravasi Prajavani in Hyderabad.

Responding to the appeal, CM Prajavani in-charge, State Planning Board Vice Chairman and former minister Dr G Chinna Reddy directed the concerned authorities to extend all possible assistance. Telangana Government NRI Advisory Committee Vice Chairman Manda Bheem Reddy and CM Pravasi Prajavani Liaison Officer Bhargavi Naddunoori have also been assisting the family.

Documents accessed by Siasat.com show that a grievance has been registered on the MEA’s MADAD portal. The petition also states that Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar has written to the Ministry of External Affairs, urging intervention in the case.

The documents further show that Mohan’s passport is valid until January 3, 2027. They also include a letter issued by the Consulate General of India in Jeddah in January 2023 requesting Saudi labour authorities to facilitate his departure from the Kingdom on humanitarian grounds after his sponsor allegedly failed to renew his residence permit.

The family has urged authorities to expedite Mohan’s medical evacuation, saying he requires specialised treatment in Hyderabad and lacks the financial means to arrange the air ambulance independently.

Meanwhile, members of the Saudi Arabia Telugu Association (SATA), led by Riyadh President Srinivas Macha and core members Khaja Muzammil Uddin and Singu Naresh Kumar, are coordinating with the patient’s family, hospital authorities and the Indian Embassy in Riyadh to support the repatriation process.