Lok Sabha Question No. 2181 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-12
Subject: Medical Emergency Assistance to Indians
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: Shri Malaiyarasan D

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO- 2181 ANSWERED ON- 12/12/2025 MEDICAL EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE TO INDIANS

## 2181. SHRI MALAIYARASAN D

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state :-

(a) whether the Government provides assistance to Indian citizens who face medical emergencies while living, working or travelling abroad, if so, the details of the policies, guidelines and standard operating procedures governing such assistance;

(b) the mechanism through which Indian Missions and Posts extend support in medical emergencies, including the availability of emergency helplines, liaison with hospitals, facilitation of medical evacuation or repatriation and informing family members, especially for individuals from Kallakurichi Lok Sabha constituency;

(c) the number of medical emergency cases handled by Indian Embassies, High Commissions and Consulates during the last three years, country-wise and year-wise;

(d) whether financial assistance is provided to Indians in distress during serious medical emergencies, including from the Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF), during the last three years, if  so, the details of  amount disbursed; and

(e) the steps being taken to strengthen support systems for Indian migrant workers?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)

(a & b) Indian Missions/Posts abroad extend all possible medical assistance to the Indian citizens who face medical emergencies abroad. The nature of help extended includes:

i) Indian nationals in need of emergency assistance, including in case of emergencies,   have   multiple   channels   for   reaching   out   to   the   Indian Embassy/Consulate   anytime.   The   Embassy/Consulate   operates   24X7 helplines and Whatsapp numbers. The Embassy/Consulate also promptly

respond   to   emergency   situations   posted   in   social   media   tagging   the Missions' social media handles.

ii)   In   situations where the Indian nationals are not having valid medical insurance or support from the employer and they are not able to bear the medical   expenses   on   their   own,   the   Embassy/Consulate   provides assistance either by paying for the expenses from the Indian Community Welfare   Fund   (ICWF)   or,   wherever   possible,   requesting   the   hospital   or concerned local authorities to waive off the medical bills.

iii)   Wherever possible, the Embassy/Consulate also connects the Indian nationals in need of medical assistance with medical centres and other community social workers who provide assistance on pro-bono basis.

iv) The Embassy/Consulate reaches out to the hospital, and also makes physical   visits   depending   upon   the   situation,   to   take   updates   on   the medical condition and feasibility of discharge or repatriation to India. The Embassy/Consulate coordinates with the family members of the patient.

v) The Embassy/Consulate helps in medical repatriation, including in wheel chair, medical stretcher and air ambulance, of Indian nationals by actively coordinating with the patient's family members, the foreign employer, the hospital, the airlines, and the local authorities.

vi) In case the cost of repatriation is not the responsibility of the sponsor (in cases of illegal residency status) but the patient or the family is not able to bear the expense, the Embassy arranges the repatriation expense through ICWF.

vii) In case of Indian nationals in need of urgent medical repatriation but facing   illegal   residency   status   or   travel   ban,   the   Embassy/Consulate proactively works to secure no objection or exit permit from the local government authorities.

(c & d) The requisite details of medical assistance provided from the Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) in the last three years by Indian Missions abroad are given in Annexure-A.

(e) The   Government   has   established   various   mechanisms   to   enable Indians including emigrant workers abroad to reach out in case they need any   assistance   or   to   register   any   grievances.   They   can   contact   the Missions/Posts through various channels like walk-in, email, multilingual 24x7   emergency   numbers,   grievance   redressal   portals   like   MADAD, CPGRAMS, eMigrate, social media, toll free helplines, whatsapp numbers and   Missions/Posts   have   also   launched   mobile   Apps   to   enable   Indian

nationals to contact respective Indian Missions/Posts when in distress or in emergency situation.

Our Missions/Posts abroad also utilize the Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) to provide the following services/assistance to the Indian diaspora in distress on a means tested basis:

(i) Transportation of mortal remains to India or cremation with the consent of the family;

(ii) Emergency medical care;

(iii) Legal assistance;

(iv) Boarding and lodging; and

(v) Air passage for stranded Indians

Furthermore, Pravasi Bharatiya Sahayata Kendras (PBSK) have been set up in New Delhi and at Dubai (UAE), Riyadh & Jeddah (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) to provide assistance, guidance and counselling to Indians in distress. Consular camps and Open Houses are also held by Indian Missions/Posts to reach out to the Indian nationals abroad who might need any assistance/guidance from the Government.

## Annexure A

| Beneficiaries of Emergency Medical Care of Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) from 2022 to 2025(till June)   | Beneficiaries of Emergency Medical Care of Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) from 2022 to 2025(till June)   | Beneficiaries of Emergency Medical Care of Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) from 2022 to 2025(till June)   | Beneficiaries of Emergency Medical Care of Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) from 2022 to 2025(till June)   | Beneficiaries of Emergency Medical Care of Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) from 2022 to 2025(till June)   | Beneficiaries of Emergency Medical Care of Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) from 2022 to 2025(till June)   |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Sl. No.                                                                                                        | Country                                                                                                        | 2022 No. of Beneficiaries                                                                                      | 2023 No. of Beneficiaries                                                                                      | 2024 No. of Beneficiaries                                                                                      | 2025 (till June) No. of Beneficiaries                                                                          |
| 1                                                                                                              | Afghanistan                                                                                                    | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              |
| 2                                                                                                              | Algeria                                                                                                        | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              |
| 3                                                                                                              | Angola                                                                                                         | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              |
| 4                                                                                                              | Argentina                                                                                                      | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              |
| 5                                                                                                              | Armenia                                                                                                        | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              |
| 6                                                                                                              | Australia                                                                                                      | 2                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 1                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              |
| 7                                                                                                              | Austria                                                                                                        | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              |
| 8                                                                                                              | Azerbaijan                                                                                                     | 0                                                                                                              | 1                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              |
| 9                                                                                                              | Bahrain                                                                                                        | 1                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              |
| 10                                                                                                             | Bangladesh                                                                                                     | 3                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              |
| 11                                                                                                             | Belarus                                                                                                        | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              |
| 12                                                                                                             | Belgium                                                                                                        | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              |
| 13                                                                                                             | Bhutan                                                                                                         | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              |
| 14                                                                                                             | Botswana                                                                                                       | 1                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              |
| 15                                                                                                             | Brazil                                                                                                         | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              |
| 16                                                                                                             | Brunei darussalam                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              |
| 17                                                                                                             | Bulgaria                                                                                                       | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              |
| 18                                                                                                             | Burkina Faso                                                                                                   | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              |
| 19                                                                                                             | Cambodia                                                                                                       | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 1                                                                                                              | 3                                                                                                              |
| 20                                                                                                             | Cameroon                                                                                                       | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              |
| 21                                                                                                             | Canada                                                                                                         | 0                                                                                                              | 1                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              |
| 22                                                                                                             | Chile                                                                                                          | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              |
| 23                                                                                                             | China                                                                                                          | 1                                                                                                              | 1                                                                                                              | 1                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              |
| 24                                                                                                             | Colombia                                                                                                       | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                              |

|   25 | Cote d'Ivoire                    |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
|------|----------------------------------|-----|-----|-----|-----|
|   26 | Croatia                          |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
|   27 | Cuba                             |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
|   28 | Cyprus                           |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
|   29 | Czech Republic                   |   1 |   1 |   0 |   0 |
|   30 | Democratic Republic of the Congo |   0 |   7 |   0 |   0 |
|   31 | Denmark                          |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
|   32 | Djibouti                         |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
|   33 | Dominican Republic               |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
|   34 | Egypt                            |   0 |   0 |   1 |   0 |
|   35 | Equatorial Guinea                |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
|   36 | Eritrea                          |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
|   37 | Estonia                          |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
|   38 | Ethiopia                         |   0 |   0 |   0 |   1 |
|   39 | Fiji                             |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
|   40 | Finland                          |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
|   41 | France                           |   1 |   0 |   1 |   0 |
|   42 | Germany                          |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
|   43 | Ghana                            |   0 |   0 |   1 |   0 |
|   44 | Greece                           |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
|   45 | Guatemala                        |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
|   46 | Guinea                           |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
|   47 | Guyana                           |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
|   48 | Hungary                          |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
|   49 | Iceland                          |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
|   50 | Indonesia                        |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
|   51 | Iran                             |   2 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
|   52 | Iraq                             |   2 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
|   53 | Ireland                          |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
|   54 | Israel                           |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |

| 55            | Italy       | 0   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
|---------------|-------------|-----|-----|-----|-----|
| 56            | Jamaica     | 1   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 57            | Japan       | 0   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 58            | Jordan      | 1   |   0 |   0 |   1 |
| 59            | Kazakhstan  | 0   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 60            | Kenya       | 0   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 61            | Kuwait      | 95  |   1 |   0 |   0 |
| 62            | Kyrgystan   | 0   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 63            | Laos        | 0   |   7 |   9 |   2 |
| 64            | Lebanon     | 0   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 65 Liberia    |             | 0   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 66            | Libya       | 0   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 67 Madagascar |             | 0   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 68            | Malawi      | 0   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 69 Malaysia   | 2           |     |   2 |   0 |  29 |
| 70            | Maldives    | 0   |   1 |   0 |   0 |
| 71            | Mali        | 0   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 72            | Malta       | 0   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 73            | Mauritius   | 0   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 74            | Mexico      | 0   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 75            | Mongolia    | 0   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 76            | Morocco     | 0   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 77 Mozambique |             | 0   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 78            | Myanmar     | 0   |   1 |   0 |   0 |
| 79            | Namibia     | 0   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 80            | Nepal       | 0   |   2 |  16 |   0 |
| 81            | Netherlands | 0   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 82 New        | Zealand     | 1   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 83            | Niger       | 0   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 84            | Nigeria     | 0   |   0 |   2 |   0 |
| 85            | North Korea | 0   |   0 |   0 |   0 |

| 86             | Norway           | 0   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
|----------------|------------------|-----|-----|-----|-----|
| 87             | Oman             | 224 | 136 |  13 |  28 |
| 88             | Pakistan         | 0   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 89             | Palestine        | 0   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 90             | Panama           | 0   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 91             | Papua New Guinea | 0   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 92             | Paraguay         | 0   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 93             | Peru             | 0   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 94             | Philippines      | 0   |   1 |   0 |   0 |
| 95             | Poland 2         |     |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 96             | Portugal         | 0   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 97 Qatar       |                  | 0   |   0 |   3 |   1 |
| 98             | Romania          | 0   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 99             | Russia           | 0   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 100            | Rwanda           | 1   |   4 |   0 |   0 |
| 101 Sao Tome & | Principie        | 0   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 102            | Saudi Arabia     | 85  |  74 |  20 |   4 |
| 103            | Senegal          | 0   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 104            | Serbia           | 0   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 105            | Seychelles       | 0   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 106 Sierra     | leone            | 0   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 107            | Singapore        | 0   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 108            | Slovakia         | 0   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 109            | Slovenia         | 0   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 110            | South Africa     | 0   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 111            | South Korea      | 2   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 112            | South Sudan      | 2   |   0 |   0 |   1 |
| 113            | Spain            | 9   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 114            | Sri Lanka        | 24  |   4 |   4 |   6 |
| 115            | Sudan            | 2   |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 116            | Suriname         | 0   |   0 |   0 |   0 |

| 117   | Swaziland                |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
|-------|--------------------------|-----|-----|-----|-----|
| 118   | Sweden                   |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 119   | Switzerland              |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 120   | Syria                    |   1 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 121   | Taiwan                   |   0 |   0 |   1 |   0 |
| 122   | Tajikistan               |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 123   | Tanzania                 |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 124   | Thailand                 |   0 |   1 |   0 |   0 |
| 125   | Togo                     |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 126   | Trinidad & Tobago        |   1 |   1 |   0 |   0 |
| 127   | Tunisia                  |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 128   | Turkey                   |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 129   | Turkmenistan             |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 130   | UAE                      |  19 |  37 |  32 |   1 |
| 131   | Uganda                   |   1 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 132   | Ukraine                  |   0 |   0 |   1 |   0 |
| 133   | United Kingdom           |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 134   | United States of America |   1 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 135   | Uzbekhistan              |   1 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 136   | Venezuela                |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 137   | Vietnam                  |   0 |   1 |   2 |   0 |
| 138   | Yemen                    |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 139   | Zambia                   |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 140   | Zimbabwe                 |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
|       | Total                    | 489 | 284 | 109 |  77 |

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