Dubai, Jan 13: Seventeen Indians committed suicide in Qatar last year, while the total number of deaths in the community was 208 for the year, Indian embassy figures showed.
The suicide figure for 2007 is the highest for the community here so far, and Indian ambassador Dr George Joseph said the reasons behind the incidents needed to be studied, Peninsula Daily reported.
The ambassador was presiding over a monthly open house at the mission premises.
A prominent Indian physician, Dr Abraham Kollamana, present in the meeting said he would coordinate with Indian psychiatrists based in Doha and see if counseling could be provided to Indians facing stress.
First secretary Harish Arora said 113 deaths were caused by cardiac arrest with the average age of the victims between 40 and 45 years. Eight of those who died were below 30 years of age.
Stress, among other factors, was cited as one of the main reasons behind the fatal heart attacks. Arora said 32 deaths were caused by road accidents while the number of those who died in workplace mishaps was 11.
According to Arora, 138 Indians were being held at the deportation centre for repatriation. Some 78 of them were male and 60 were female.
A total of 236 Indian maids approached the embassy for assistance in 2007 and they were referred to the deportation centre to be sent back home. The number of aggrieved Indian laborers referred to the Criminal Evidence and Information Department (CEID) for repatriation was 676 during the year.
"We referred 168 workers to the department of labor in 2007 for redressal of their woes," said Arora.
Bureau Report
