By:The Indian Express
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Former Health Minister KK Shailaja has been chosen for the prestigious Central European University (CEU) Open Society Prize. She has been selected for the award in recognition of her commitment to public health services.
Open Society Prize, the highest civilian recognition by the university, is annually awarded to persons of exceptional distinction who serve the ideals of an open society. Past recipients of the award include eminent scientific philosopher Karl Popper, former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Czech President and playwright Vaklav Howell and well-known economist Joseph Stiglitz. In 2020, Nobel Laureate Svetlana Alexeyevich received the Open Society Prize.
The award was announced during the virtual convocation of the University in Vienna on Friday. “The Open Society Prize is awarded this year to an extraordinary public servant from the developing world. As minister of public health in the Indian state of Kerala during the Covid-19 pandemic, KK Shailaja Teacher and the dedicated staff of the public health service demonstrated to the world that determined leadership, community-based public health and effective communication can save lives.
Her example will inspire young women to enter public service, and Kerala’s record in containing the epidemic gives hope to nations in the developing world. By awarding CEU’s highest award to Shailaja Teacher, the university honours a public servant and female leader for her commitment to public health services, the bedrock of every open society,” said CEU president Michael Ignatieff.
Responding to the award, KK Shailaja said she’s honoured to be placed alongside distinguished people who have made an important contribution to an open society. Shailaja said the world is grappling with a crisis of unprecedented scale, and recalled how Kerala set up a system to fight the pandemic.
“When we decided a strategy for battling the pandemic in Kerala, we know that it had to be centred on securing the government’s commitment and accountability to the people, as well as by working in synergy with the civil society. The state adopted an approach to systematically increase the capacity and resilience of the state’s public health system to prepare for effectively responding to other crises in future too,” she said.
She narrated how the state put in place a system to address the crisis, right when reports started coming about a potential virus spreading in Wuhan. Shailaja said world leaders should rise to global challenges and work out new constructive solutions to build an equitable society. “As you step out into the world, this is an opportunity for each one of you to change the world and write history. Find that leader in you,” she said addressing the graduates who passed out from the University.
