Women In Power: Meet KK Shailaja, Kerala’s Health Minister Responsible For The State’s COVID Curve Flattening
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Like most of the world, India too has been ravaged by COVID-19. Many countries have pushed for social distancing and putting curfews into place to avoid spreading the virus. India itself has been under lockdown since the 25th of March. But were we a little too late? As of now, India is faring far better than many of its western counterparts but the number of confirmed cases in India has still hit the 70,000 mark. Even though it took a while for the country to start rapidly testing the population, Kerala has succeeded in flattening the COVID curve. This state was also responsible for effectively containing the deadly Nipah virus outbreak back in 2018. Here’s how “God’s Own Country” has managed to successfully make it through multiple trying times (1) (2).
The Iron-hearted Minister
K.K. Shailja is the current Minister of Health and Social Welfare for the State of Kerala. During the Nipah virus outbreak in 2018, she was commended for her brilliant leadership and quick-thinking actions. A true icon for women across the country, she has once again proved her ability to act quickly in the face of adversity. Despite Kerala having one of the highest expat populations in the country, the state managed to contain the spread of the Coronavirus and currently only has 30 active cases (3).
Over 4 lakh NRIs from the state of Kerala have registered themselves to return to the state. A majority of these expats are from GCC countries, due to the Gulf economic boom. The state has been mandatorily putting travelers under self-isolation since the virus first touched its shores on the 29th of January. This was even before the rest of the country started taking measures to home quarantine its travelers. Many other state governments and politicians accused the state of causing unnecessary panic but Kerala took it in their stride and continued with the incredible work. For many weeks now countries have been speaking about the ‘’Kerala model’’ on a global scale. The model has managed to keep Kerala’s mortality rate the lowest in the entire country. So, how does this state manage to always rise out on top during major health crises?
Past Experiences
The state has experienced its fair share of infectious diseases in the past. From H1N1 and Chikungunya to the more recent Nipah and COVID-19, Kerala has dealt with viruses deftly and successfully. Despite Nipah being a completely unexpected and extremely infectious zoonotic virus, the state’s healthcare was strong enough to handle the outbreak and contain its death toll to the districts where the case first emerged. After the rumble with the Nipah virus, K.K. Shailaja made sure to look out for any major outbreaks. And that is exactly how she found out about the Coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan China. K.K. Shailaja was aware of the number of students from Kerala studying in Wuhan at the time and thus decided to deploy a rapid response team to help with the virus. As of 12th May, there are about 30 active cases in the state. Even two older patients who tested positive for the virus recovered successfully and were discharged (4).
Healthcare For All
Kerala as a state has been at the forefront of medical innovation and has focused on keeping it’s healthcare top notch. This also includes making sure that the government hospitals too are well equipped and ready to handle things. The state has assured that even primary healthcare facilities in rural towns are well equipped to run the adequate tests required to detect the virus at its early stages. After the harrowing experience they had with Nipah, the Kerala government has ensured that their medical staff is well equipped to handle an infectious outbreak including mock drills and other assignments. The way they have managed to do this is by maintaining their “we” mentality. K.K. Shailaja is known for being extremely thoughtful of those working as first responders and has always advocated for their cause (5).
The state ensures that they do their very best to keep the morale high among healthcare professionals during these trying times. One of the state’s first COVID patients, a young student from Wuhan, had mentioned in interviews that the health minister personally called her to wish her a speedy recovery. It is this very personal touch, that makes Kerala’s health minister truly a woman of her people and much loved across the state.
It is wonderful to witness the powerful strides Kerala as a state is making during this pandemic. It is even more wonderful to know that this is because of a humble yet powerful woman named K.K. Shailaja. We sincerely hope that more health ministers take a few pages out of her book and try to help their States. Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
