Decentralised planning, good use of resources contained Nipah and Covid-19 spread in Kerala: KK Shailaja

Pune: Former Kerala health minister KK Shailaja, who helmed the state health infrastructure during the pandemic period, on Sunday said it was decentralised planning and good use of resources that contained the spread of Nipah and Covid-19 in the southern state. She was speaking at the Pune People’s Health Forum’s public seminar on the ‘Kerala Health Model’ on Sunday.

KK Shailaja said that when the rest of the world was yet to take serious note of the onset of a soon-to-rage pandemic, the state of Kerala was combat-ready, with a control room set up by an expert group and arrangements for the training of healthcare workers. Chemistry teacher-turned-politician KK Shailaja said that as the health minister, she strived to make the health system better in Kerala by turning primary health centres (PHCs) into family health centres with a changed aesthetic appeal.

On the Nipah virus cases, she said that she had never heard of the virus before, and they were cautious in their approach. “When we got the confirmation from the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune about the Nipah virus, the first thing we did was to quarantine the whole village, where the case was found. The villagers were on the verge of abandoning their homes due to this news. But to win their trust, we visited the village and assured them of all the timely assistance they would be getting. The quarantine was for 28 days,” she said.

On the low infant mortality rate in Kerala, she said, “We managed to reduce the infant mortality rate to a single digit through special efforts, like forming dedicated teams of volunteers and Asha (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers, who would reach pregnant women even in the most remote of areas.”

Kerala's handling of the Nipah crisis in 2018 had won praise from the World Health Organisation (WHO) too. The state's health system, was at one point, monitoring more than 2,500 contacts of Nipah patients. Kerala had also set up a 24-hour helpline to take questions from the community. "The state used all available channels of communication, including traditional, online and new media, and social mobilisers, to counter rumours," WHO said.

From health to democracy

Earlier in the day, KK Shailaja was the chief guest for an Onam celebration function organized by Pune Keraleeya Samajam Rasta Peth held at Alpa Bachat Bhavan.

Here, she spoke about how democracy means providing equal opportunities to all citizens, and the importance of secularism in a country that is as diverse as India. She said that politicians when elected to a position are responsible for solving problems in their sector and apart from teamwork, dogged persistence is required to resolve social issues.