Kin of Telangana nurse stranded in Saudi following road accident seek state''s help
The family members of a nurse from Telangana, who is confined to bed in a hospital in Saudi Arabia following a crippling accident, have urged Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to help in her repatriation. A travel ban has been imposed on her in the Gulf country due to a pending loan.
The mother of Gugulot Sunitha (36) approached 'CM Pravasi Prajavani' on July 31, with an emotional appeal to Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy for help.
Mandha Bheem Reddy, Vice Chairman of the Telangana Government's NRI Advisory Committee, told PTI on Tuesday, August 4, that the petition has been forwarded to the CM's office requesting intervention.
Once a compassionate caregiver who stood beside patients, Sunitha, an ICU specialist nurse from Chivvemla Mandal in Suryapet district, is now confined to a bed, completely dependent on others for even her basic needs, said Gugulot Parengi, mother of Sunitha.
She said Sunitha travelled to Saudi Arabia on September 7, 2024, after completing B Sc Nursing with the dream of supporting her struggling family financially.
She joined King Abdullah Hospital, where she served as an Intensive Care Nurse Specialist.
However, tragedy struck on April 23, 2025, when she met with a devastating road accident.
She sustained severe injuries to both hands, her spine, and her head, requiring multiple surgeries. Metal plates had to be implanted in her body. A Saudi medical board later certified her with 87 per cent permanent disability, declaring her medically unfit to continue working. She subsequently lost her job.
As if the devastating injuries were not enough, Sunitha faces another obstacle.
Before the accident, she had borrowed 1,48,000 Saudi Riyals (approximately Rs 38 lakh) from a bank in Saudi Arabia to meet family needs.
Although all medical documents relating to the accident were submitted to the bank, the loan issue remains unresolved. As a result, Saudi authorities imposed a 'Travel Ban', preventing her from leaving the country.
Despite urgently needing advanced medical treatment in India, she remains trapped in Saudi Arabia, her mother said.
Her salary has also been stopped since November 2025, leaving her with no source of income. The family is unable to bear her medical expenses, legal costs, or living expenses, pushing them into severe financial distress.
"My daughter devoted her life to saving countless patients. Today, I beg the government to save my daughter and bring her back home," Parengi said.
The petition was received at 'CM Pravasi Prajavani', where Mandha Bheem Reddy, Vice Chairman of the Telangana Government's NRI Advisory Committee, counselled the family and provided guidance to them.
After learning about Sunitha's tragic condition, G Chinna Reddy, Vice Chairman of the Telangana State Planning Board and In-charge of CM Prajavani, immediately endorsed the petition to V Seshadri, Principal Secretary to the chief minister, requesting urgent intervention to facilitate her repatriation and ensure appropriate medical assistance, Bheem Reddy said.
Sunitha was the backbone of her family. She had paid for her mother's heart surgery, her father's brain surgery, supported the education, marriages, and maternity expenses of her three sisters, and after her brother's death in 2011, assumed responsibility for raising his two young children.
The accident has left the entire family, below the poverty line, devastated, emotionally and financially.
The family has appealed to CM Revanth Reddy, Suryapet MLA G Jagadish Reddy, and Nalgonda MP Kunduru Raghuveer Reddy to intervene immediately.
The family requested the Government of Telangana to arrange Sunitha's immediate medical repatriation to Telangana, extend emergency financial and legal assistance through the Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF), resolve the pending bank loan dispute, coordinating with the Union Government.
The family also requested the government to facilitate the removal of the Saudi travel ban and ensure advanced medical treatment and rehabilitation in India, Bheem Reddy said.
