Dubai, May 22 (IANS): Healthcare groups in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have offered work to nurses from Kerala who have been stranded in the country due to Covid job scams, according to a news report.

In a report on Wednesday, Gulf News said: "Several nurses from the south Indian state were stranded after being duped by recruitment agencies who charged exorbitant commissions ranging from Rs 200,000 to Rs 350,000. They were offered jobs at Covid-19 vaccination and testing centres in the UAE."

Following this report, prominent healthcare groups have now offered jobs to the affected nurses.

Speaking to Gulf News on Friday, Azad Moopen, chairman and managing director of Aster DM Healthcare, said: "We are ready to hire whoever is qualified and have sufficient experience with or without licence. They should be able to perform well in the interview.

"If they don't have a licence, we can start processing their visas and provide them support to try for licence."

Sanjay M. Paithankar, Managing Director of Right Health, said his group was also willing to hire up to 40 nurses.

"We have just opened five more facilities in Dubai. They can join immediately. There are flats ready to accommodate them. We will arrange visa, accommodation, transportation plus basic salary till they get the DHA license. Our company will also help them appear for tests to get DHA licence," he told Gulf News.

Speaking to Gulf News on Wednesday, Aman Puri, Consul General of India in Dubai, said stranded nurses must report the matter to the mission so that they can be assisted with repatriation.