Written by Naman Anil Kumar, a grade 7 student

Here’s a quick question:

Karnataka’s health minister is B Sriramulu. Andhra Pradesh’s health minister is Alla Nani. Maharashtra’s health minister is Rajesh Tope. Dehli’s health minister is Satyendar Kumar Jain.

Do you know who the health minister of Kerala is? Yes, it is none other than K.K. Shailaja – who has been honoured by the UN for Kerala’s effective management of the COVID pandemic.

What did she do?

When COVID 19 struck, K.K. Shailaja was one of the few people who swung into action immediately. By as early as the 24th of January, Shailaja had set up a rapid response team and a control room. She also got teams on the ground into action – looking for Corona patients. Many students from Kerala study in Wuhan (where the pandemic started). When the first group of students flew back from Wuhan to Kerala, she was ready for action.

She set out clear rules on targeted testing, contact tracing, and isolation. These measures proved to be very successful, and the state managed to control the spread of the infection better than many states in India.

K.K. Shailaja is a dedicated, committed, and courageous minister. Just like COVID, she also handled the Nipah virus very well in 2018. She announced a lockdown in Kerala many weeks before the lockdown was announced for the whole of India. She arranged many beds and other resources as there were very few beds in Kerala, and said, “From now onwards no citizen should go without treatment or bed”. She also managed the flattening of the Coronavirus Pandemic curve during April 2020.

For her efforts K.K. Shailaja’s name is listed in the women corona warriors in BBC news. She was also featured in Vogue magazine as a vogue warrior.

Who is K.K. Shailaja?

K.K Shailaja was born on 20 November 1956 to K.K.Kundan and K.Shantha. In Koothuparamba, Kannur, Kerala, India. She got a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of education in 1980. Then she started her career as a high school teacher in Shivapuram. After 7 years in 2004, she retired and joined politics.

She entered politics through her activities at the Students Federation of India (SFI). Later she become a member of CPI (M) Central Committee.

Today, she is an active politician from Kerala. She is Minister of Health and Social Justice of Kerala and the current MLA of Kuthuparamba. She is one of the two female ministers of Pinarayi Vijayan Cabinet. Hailing from Kannur, Kerala, she is also the State Secretary of All India Democratic Women’s Association and Joint Secretary of its Central Committee.

Once when there was a bandh in 2000; police threw a rock which hit Shailaja’s head accidentally, and she got six stitches on her head. That did not deter her spirit. Then when in August this year, a plane crashed in Kerala, K.K. Shailaja visited the site and thereafter she had to stay in quarantine for 15 days. This is when COVID struck her. Undefeated she said, “More than fear, I feel the enthusiasm to get involved.” 

No wonder she was invited by the WHO for her commendable work during the COVID19 Pandemic.  Kerala is very lucky to have this dedicated, committed, and courageous K.K Shailaja as a minister.

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