KOZHIKODE: A Malayali IT professional, who is in critical health conditionm was brought here in a special chartered flight from the United Kingdom to undergo treatment for gastrointestinal cancer. Prasad Das, 35, a native of Thalasserry, is a software engineer with UST Global at Nottingham and he preferred further treatment in Kerala as Covid fear is looming large over hospitals in Britain.
He arrived at Karipur Airport at 9am on Friday and was brought to Aster Mims Hospital here in a special ambulance and was admitted. His initial Covid-19 screening test was conducted at the airport itself. Prasad was diagnosed with the disease a year ago in the same hospital, but continued treatment in the UK as he is working there. Bringing the IT professional here in a short span of time was possible with the timely intervention of the Centre and state governments and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
WhatsApp group intervention
A WhatsApp group ‘Distress Management Collective’ led by Justice (Retd) Kurian Joseph and Alphons Kannanthanam, MP, had made Prasad’s return possible by putting pressure on both governments. According to Kannanthanam, the collective was approached by Tom Aditya, the Kerala-origin mayor of Bradley Stoke, on April 20 to bring Prasad back to India as the Nottingham University Medical Centre, where Prasad was undergoing treatment, had conveyed that nothing more could be done for him.
“He thus expressed his wish to get back to India for treatment in Kozhikode, so that he can be with his family,” said Kannanthanam. Prasad was accompanied by his wife and four-year-old daughter. He is under the treatment of Dr Abhishek Rajan.