Over the years, along with a constant growth rate and rapid development, the UAE has become a primary attraction for the working population of India and various other South Asian countries.
As and when the growth of a country increases, consequently, the amount of workload and pressure on professionals’ increases as well. Due to this heavy load of work, expatriates more often than not succumb to heart attacks.
According to reports, 7 out of 10 Indian expatriates in Abu Dhabi, and 6 out of 10 Indian expatriates in Dubai and the rest of the five emirates have died due to heart attacks in the first half of 2019. An alarming number of 528 death cases due to heart attacks have been reported in the year 2019 itself.
Not only is the fact that the number of cases reported is skyscraping high but also that the number of cases reported has jumped significantly from the previous year, i.e. 2018, in which 214 such cases were reported.
The reports have also found that the victims of heart attack are getting younger year by year. Out of the 131 cases reported in Abu Dhabi this year, 57 of them were between the age group of 20-40.
The other causes of Indian deaths include natural death due to old age, worksite and traffic accidents, suicides, drowning, etc.
The blue-collar workers have proven to be a lot more vulnerable to death cases as compared to the rest of the working population. Out of the 182 death cases reported this year, 126 of them have been blue-collar workers; and out of the 131 deaths caused due to heart attack, 90 of them have been blue-collar workers.
Although M. Rajamurugan, counselor (consular affairs), Indian Embassy in the UAE may argue that “most people don’t do periodic check-ups”, work-related and emotional stress, lifestyle changes and unhealthy food habits remain as the primary cause for heart attacks in the UAE.
Moreover, another significant reason for the shooting up of heart attack rates amongst the Indians could also be acute physical inactivity. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research, Indians have been noticed to have been gradually shying away from physical activity due to hyper engagement in the usage of technology. With only less than 10% Indians engaging in recreational physical activity, around 54% of them remain physically inactive leading to various health-related issues such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and thyroid disorders.
Indian expatriates more often than not tend to be in an anxious state of mind in a working environment regarding job security, financial obligations, etc. and consequently do not consume a healthy diet on time and also do not sleep enough in order to give rest to their minds and bodies in order to make that extra effort in their work, which may also serve as a reason for heart attacks.
By: – Mohammed Siddiq M. Abu Dhabi, UAE