Bangladesh requests Qatar to establish visa, medical centres in 8 divisional cities

Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury has requested Qatar's Labour Minister Ali bin Saeed Samikh al-Marri to establish visa centres and medical centres in the eight divisional cities of the country to complete the visa and health checks in a short time.

The Minister made the request the 7th Bangladesh-Qatar Joint Committee meeting with Qatar's Labour Minister Ali bin Saeed Samikh al-Marri at the conference room of the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment on Monday afternoon, says a press release.

Ariful Haque Choudhury mentioned currently, there is only one visa and medical centre in Dhaka for Qatar-bound workers in Bangladesh, which is insufficient compared to the need.

In the meeting, Qatar's Labour Minister expressed a special interest in recruiting workers in the electrician, plumber, AC technician, and welding sectors from five specified technical training centres in Bangladesh.

In response to the request to increase the number of visa centres in the divisional cities, Qatar's Labour Minister assured that he would personally request Qatar's Minister of Interior to implement the matter.

At the beginning of the meeting, Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury extended heartfelt thanks to Qatar's Labour Minister for accepting the invitation to visit Bangladesh.

He noted that significant progress has been made in the brotherly relations between Bangladesh and Qatar over the past few decades.

Praising various initiatives by the Qatari government to resolve the issues of Bangladeshi workers and ensure their welfare, he expressed deep gratitude.

In particular, he conveyed profound gratitude on behalf of the government and people of Bangladesh for the exemplary humanitarian gesture by Qatar's esteemed Amir, who sent an air ambulance for the emergency treatment of the former Prime Minister, Begum Khaleda Zia.

Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury referred to Qatar as a highly attractive labour market for Bangladeshi workers, mentioning that currently, over 400,000 Bangladeshi workers are contributing with skill, honesty, and dedication to Qatar's development and progress.

Noting that 107,598 Bangladeshi workers went to Qatar in 2023, he expressed optimism that the Qatari authorities would receive double the number of workers this year.

He further mentioned that quality training is being provided in 55 trades related to overseas employment in 110 technical training centres under the ministry.

In the meeting, State Minister for Expatriates' Welfare Nurul Haque called on Qatar's Labour Minister to recruit a sufficient number of skilled physicians, engineers, nurses, caregivers, imams, muezzins, khatibs, and religious teachers from Bangladesh to participate in Qatar's ongoing development endeavours.

Qatar's Labour Minister Ali bin Saeed Samikh al-Marri praised the skills of Bangladeshi workers, stating that currently, about 473,000 Bangladeshi workers are employed in Qatar, with 30 per cent in the development sector and the rest in other professions.

He also mentioned that two special training centres have already been established in Qatar to enhance the skills of unskilled workers.

Qatar's Ambassador to Bangladesh Ali Mahdi Saeed Al-Qahtani, Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment ministry secretary Md Mokhtar Ahmed, Prime Minister's Special Assistant Md Shakirul Islam, and senior officials from relevant ministries of both countries attended the bilateral meeting of the joint committee.