Health Minister KK Shailaja: The woman who helped Kerala combat coronavirus

KK Shailaja was familiar with the COVID-19 situation as she was involved in the successful containment of the Nipah virus outbreak in 2018.
Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja (Photo | EPS)
Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja (Photo | EPS)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Well before the world realised the threat of COVID-19, it had caught the attention of Kerala's Health Minister KK Shailaja who happened to read the reports emerging from China since the beginning of this year.

Even before COVID-19 acquired the name it was known as novel coronavirus or simply coronavirus to the world atleast till the first few weeks of January. The reporting of cases in Wuhan in China caught the attention of KK Shailaja. 

She was familiar with the situation as she was involved in the successful containment of the Nipah virus outbreak in the first half of 2018. The experience helped her to prepare for a containment strategy even before the first passenger from Wuhan reached Kerala.  

Shailaja's foresight in preparing the state and her ability to communicate the decisions to the public, have gained world attention through the international media. As the worldwide death toll crossing 3 lakh and India's death toll crossing 3000 there are reasons why people are looking for right strategies from Kerala which is located at the southern tip of the Indian continent.

At a time COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the dearth of leadership in fighting against the novel disease, the world is keenly watching at any possible success stories at the nook and corner. The success in flattening the curve in less than 100 days after the first case was reported and more importantly in restricting the deaths caused by pandemic to just three are not mean achievements by any standard. The state has one of the best recovery rates in the world. So what are the factors that favored the state apart from an alert leadership?

There was a contingency plan in place, said Shailaja in an interview with an international media. She spoke about the strategies adopted right from the beginning when people started arriving from outside, the testing methods adopted that suited the ability of the state and the contact tracing system which in a sense is unique to Kerala with its strong grass root level linkages. Also, she talked about the effectiveness of home quarantine where the people themselves took the responsibility to prevent the spread. 

The world watched with interest when she shared the success tips when people in several developed countries are protesting against the lockdown measures that confine them to homes. Some of the actions were proactive measures much before the World Health Organisation came up COVID-19 protocol emphasizing test, trace, isolate and support. She summed up the interview by highlighting the socio-economic advantages and the way ahead for the state in fighting the disease.  

The journey was not smooth as the state vigil was constantly challenged. When there was a feeling that the state was successful in tracing and confining people coming from abroad. A family that just returned from Italy to Pathanamthitta failed to alert the authorities about their travel history and their free-mingling in the society created panic when the members were tested positive. 

However, the state apparatus managed to check the contagion in the region. In 23 days the COVID care centre helped in the recovery of the family patriarch and his wife who are aged 93 and 88 years respectively. The state has also managed to trace all people who attended a Tablighi meeting in Delhi in April.

In the month of May, the challenge was to manage the influx of people returning from abroad and from other parts of the country. The elaborate arrangement in keeping a record of people arriving and the quarantine facilities are the ongoing challenges the state is dealing with as the number of people under treatment has crossed 100.

Media attention

The 63-year-old minister was featured by several international media including The Guardian which gave a detailed account of the minister's activities from the very beginning. The latest was the five-minute live appearance at the BBC World News aired on May 18.

The Washington Post, The Economist and non-English media houses in West Asia, Africa, Europe too have written about the success of Kerala and its pandemic Czar. Many of them have been tracking her ever since the success of Kerala in handling the Nipah virus outbreak in 2018.

Often the comparisons are made with world leaders who were successful in containing the pandemic in their region. Her social media accounts were keenly watched by the world which liberally used it in the articles. It was widely shared by the Kerala diaspora spread across the world. 

Kerala's firm but the humane approach has attracted people outside and it was only natural for media to pick up the leader behind it, said a Non-Resident Keralite living in Northern Virginia in USA.

The handling of migrant labourers issue and starting community kitchen for people affected by lockdown have gained wide attention in social media.

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The New Indian Express
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