Kerala seems to be quite an inspiring lesson in health care management, thanks to its effective handling of the novel coronavirus or COVID-19. Barely days after the state earned praise from a BBC panel for successfully managing both COVID-19 and Nipah, other state governments are making a beeline to take lessons from Kerala on how it tackled both the deadly viruses effectively.
Kerala was the first state to report COVID-19 in the whole country. However, with the effective intervention from the health department, the three infected medical students who returned from China were quarantined at the right time and were effectively treated. All the three patients have been discharged. The state had also survived the deadly Nipah virus attack a year ago.
A high-level delegation from Telengana arrived in Kerala on Friday to understand how COVID-19 was effectively managed by the state. the delegation met Health Minister K.K. Shailaja and Health Secretary Rajan N. Khobragade. They also met other senior officials and doctors who were in the team that handled the virus.
Telangana has been caught in the coronavirus scare as the state has reported two positive cases so far. Also, around 36 of the 88 people who came in contact with the 24-year-old techie, who has tested positive for coronavirus, are showing symptoms of the virus, according to Telangana government officials.
“We have a lot to learn from Kerala. The way it handled COVID-19 is quite inspiring,'' said B. Santhosh who heads the Telengana delegation. “We will be submitting our report to Health Minister Etela Rajender,” he added.
Apart from Telengana, states like Delhi, Odisha and Karnataka, too, have approached the state government seeking guidance in handling COVID-19.
“We are always ready to help anybody who needs Kerala's guidance in these matters,'' Shailaja said, adding: “There is no need to fear, but one has to be always alert.''
As of now, as many as 31 coronavirus cases have been reported in the country.
