Caritas India teamed up with IQRAA Hospital Bathery, medical practitioners, nurses, pharmacists, medical social workers, and ambulance services to serve the migrant workers at Pulpally, Kerala.

On January 29, 2023, a medical camp was organised for migrant workers supported by Caritas India and CHARIS with the help of Shreyas. Mr. Shijo Mappilasseri, the ward member of Mullankolly panchayath (ward 12), visited the camp, which was introduced by Mr. Dominic, the project coordinator. Pulpally and Mullankolly unit staff of Shreyas and placement students volunteered to support the camp activities.

Sixty-two migrant workers, especially women and children, benefited from the medical camp at the migrant worker’s hub. The hub comprises 40 families with 88 people from Assam. All the male members of the family were out for work, and only women, children, and some sick male members attended the camp.

The migrant workers are mostly from Assam and seasonally migrate to Wayanad District every year in the month of August to work on an areca nut farm and return home in March. Children belonging to these migrant families accompany their parents to the farm, which hampers their access to education and growth.

Every year, the state’s internal migrant rate is increasing, as is the complexity related to their socioeconomic and health needs. It is projected that by 2030, the migrant population will increase by 59.7 lakh, according to the In-migration, Informal Employment, and Urbanization in Kerala study.

Given that Kerala is home to a sizable number of interstate migrant workers, health-related risks, social protection, and health care are largely ignored. They do not have access to government entitlements or safeguarding, and they are subjected to long working hours, a low wage in comparison to local workers, limited access to health care services, social exclusion, poor social interaction, and a lack of integration with the local community. Considering the grim situations of migrant workers, Caritas India conducted three action research studies during the lockdown period.

The recommendations of these studies helped Caritas India develop a programme called “Ensuring safety and health security of Migrant Workers” to assist, support, and protect internal migrant workers. The programme strengthens the community to build resilience and support through vaccination, and health insurance to promote the safety of migrants in the project sites while upholding the rights of migrant workers and ensuring safe migration practises to protect vulnerable migrants. Currently, the programme is operational in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Kerala.