K. K. Shailaja

K. K. Shailaja, popularly known as Shailaja Teacher, is an Indian politician and current Minister of Health and Social Welfare[1] of Kerala state, and the current MLA representing Kuthuparamba constituency. She is one of the two female ministers in the Pinarayi Vijayan cabinet. She hails from Kannur district of Kerala.

K. K. Shailaja
Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Government of Kerala
Assumed office
25 May 2016
Preceded byV. S. Sivakumar
ConstituencyKuthuparamba
Personal details
Born (1956-11-20) 20 November 1956
Koothuparamba, Kannur, Kerala, India
NationalityIndian
Political partyCPI (M)
Spouse(s)
K. Bhaskaran
​
(m. 1981)​
ChildrenLasith, Sobhith
Parents
  • K. Kundan
  • K. K. Shantha
Alma mater

Biography

Shailaja was born on 20 November 1956 to K.K.Kundan and K. K. Shantha.[2]

Career

She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Physics from Pazhassi Raja N. S. S. College, Mattanur and Bachelor of Education from Visvesvarayya College in 1980. She then served as a high school Physics teacher at Shivapuram. After a seven-year service, she retired in 2004 for full-time political action.

Personal life

K. K. Shailaja is married to K. Bhaskaran since 19 April 1981, and they have 2 sons. She stated that her hobbies include reading and listening to music.

Political career

K. K. Shailaja is a CPI (M) Central Committee Member and the State Secretary of Janadhipathya Mahila Association. She was the editor of the Shylaja Mahila Association's Shrine Mahila Association, a district secretary, state secretary and secretary of the All India Mahila Association.

She represented Kuthuparamba in 1996 and Peravoor in 2006, both of which are in Kannur district, in the Kerala Legislative Assembly. Shailaja won a total of 67,013 votes in the Kuthuparamba constituency, winning by a margin of 12,291 votes. In the Pinarayi Vijayan ministry, she is the minister of Health and Social Welfare.

As Health Minister, Shailaja Teacher has come to be highly regarded for her unwavering commitment and strong work ethic. As quoted from one of her colleagues in the Health Department: "She is a tough taskmaster. It doesn't matter if it's midnight or if she is having any ailments, the minister is there to monitor every arrangement. In the case of nCoV prevention and control, the minister is leading from the front by convening assessment meetings daily,"[3]

Her leadership during the Nipah and COVID-19 outbreaks was widely lauded.[4][5] She had set up a team which enabled the fast diagnosis and further management of the deadly viruses. The film Virus is based on the Nipah virus outbreak in the state. In this film Revathi portrayed the character based on her.

Leadership during the Coronavirus Pandemic

K. K. Shailaja has received international attention for her leadership in tackling COVID-19 pandemic in Kerala.[6][7][8][9][10] Till around mid-March, she gave daily press briefings. She was invited by the United Nations to participate in a panel discussion on United Nations Public Service Day 2020, for her efforts to fight COVID-19 in her state on June 23, 2020.[11][12][13] The Guardian described her as "coronavirus slayer" and "rock star health minister".[14][15] BBC News featured her among a list of Asian women corona fighters.[16] She was also featured by Vogue Magazine as a "Vogue Warrior".[17] The British magazine Prospect selected her as the world's 'top thinker' for COVID-19 in 2020, topping the Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern.[18][19][20][21] Shailaja was named one of the world's most influential women of 2020.[22]

References
  1. "K. K. Shailaja - Government of Kerala, India".
  2. "K. K. SHAILAJA TEACHER" (PDF). Kerala Niyamasabha. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  3. "Tough mind, tender heart: How KK Shailaja is leading Kerala's coronavirus battle". Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  4. ThrissurJanuary 31, Press Trust of India; January 31, 2020UPDATED; Ist, 2020 22:35. "Coronoavirus[sic]: No need to panic, says Kerala govt; patient stable". India Today. Retrieved 26 March 2020.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. "'Couldn't afford to show fear': Kerala's health minister KK Shailaja on dealing with Nipah". The Indian Express. 21 July 2019. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  6. Masih, Niha. "Aggressive testing, contact tracing, cooked meals: How the Indian state of Kerala flattened its coronavirus curve". Washington Post. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  7. "What the world can learn from Kerala about how to fight covid-19". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  8. "Kerala earns praise from BBC panel for efficiently handling coronavirus cases". The Week. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  9. "A Nipah Warrior, Kerala Health Min is Now Fighting Coronavirus". The Quint. 13 March 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  10. "Kerala health minister: Attacking coronavirus, defending against barbs". gulfnews.com. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  11. Desk, The Hindu Net (28 June 2020). "Watch | UN honours Kerala Health Minister K.K Shailaja". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  12. Scroll Staff. "Coronavirus: UN honours Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja for her efforts to tackle pandemic". Scroll.in. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  13. Jun 23, Rajiv G. | TNN |; 2020; Ist, 21:07. "Kerala health minister honoured in UN webinar on Covid-19 | Thiruvananthapuram News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 24 June 2020.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  14. Spinney, Laura (14 May 2020). "The coronavirus slayer! How Kerala's rock star health minister helped save it from Covid-19". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  15. "Kerala health minister invited to speak at UN event". The Week. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  16. "BBC Monitoring – Essential Media Insight". monitoring.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  17. "Vogue Warriors: Meet Kerala's health minister who is taking the state out of the pandemic". Vogue India. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  18. Team, Prospect. "The world's top 50 thinkers 2020: the winner". Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  19. "Right lady: UK magazine 'Prospect' names KK Shailaja as world's 'top thinker' for COVID-19". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  20. N, Smitha (3 September 2020). "UK magazine: Kerala health minister K.K Shailaja Top Thinker 2020, Jacinda at No.2". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  21. "Kerala Health Minister named 'Top Thinker of 2020' by UK magazine". The Week. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  22. "Who have been the most influential women of 2020? FT readers respond". Financial Times. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
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