Most of the nurses working in Yemen are from Kerala, and woud like to return to Yemen because of better salaries.
The sounds of gun shots and explosions are still fresh on Sreedevi's mind. She thought she would never make it home - her hostel was one of the buildings attacked in the port city of Aden in war-torn Yemen. But when asked if she would still return to her work place, the nurse, in her 30s, surprisingly says, "May be, yes".
Sreedevi's emotions find resonance with a majority of the nurses, who are part of the 168 Indians who were flown in to Kerala's Kochi in the early hours today after being evacuated from Yemen yesterday. While they are relieved to be back, thoughts of an uncertain future quickly take over.
"I have two sisters. My two brothers passed away. I have taken on the responsibility of the family. Now, with no job, I am worried about repaying the study and home loans," said Sonia, as she tightly hugged her mother at the airport. A mother of two, Sonia - in her thirties - is the only breadwinner in the family.
Most of the nurses working in Yemen are from Kerala. The average salary a nurse earns in India is between Rs 8,000-15,000. But in countries like Iraq, Libya and Yemen, that figure is doubled - around Rs 30,000-50,000 - turning work there into a lucrative proposition despite the risks given volatile environment.
"If we get good salaries, we would have worked here, in our own country. If we have to work in such hard conditions, in other countries, that speaks for itself," Sreedevi said.
"They get good salaries there. The only solution is to repatriate them to other Gulf countries, where they are safe," said RS Kannan, Chief Executive Officer of NORKA-ROOTS, the nodal body for issues relating to non-resident Keralites. The body has now been made the recruiting agency for nurses and hopes to address issues of safety as well as pay.
But that is unlikely to be of much assurance to the nurses who now stare at an uncertain future.