Amid COVID-19 lockdown, Kerala man airlifted from UK to Kozhikode for treatment

A man from Kerala who has been suffering from gastrointestinal ailments was brought back from the United Kingdom to Kozhikode in a chartered flight on Friday for treatment.

The 37-year-old IT professional who was working in the UK was airlifted on Friday and has been admitted to Aster MIMS hospital. He had returned to the UK after receiving treatment from the same hospital a year ago. When his condition started deteriorating again, he contacted Dr Abhishek Rajan, Senior Gastrointestinal Surgeon, at Aster MIMS.

The patient "a native of Vadakara district reached Kozhikode airport this morning in a chartered flight from UK and got admitted to the hospital right away after going through the necessary screening test for coronavirus," a release from the hospital on Friday said.

The UK hospitals being occupied with coronavirus related emergencies, seeking treatment there was very difficult, as per the release.

A WhatsApp group run by former Union Minister Alphonse Kannamthanam and former Supreme Court judge Justice Kurien Joseph came in handy for seeking clearances. When contacted, Alphonse Kannamthanam told ANI that he had received a request from Tom Aditya, Mayor of Bristol, UK. They then contacted Kerala Chief Secretary, Secretaries in various departments of Union Government and all clearances were obtained in two days.

The release from the hospital said with the help of district administration and State health department all necessary formalities and permissions were obtained for him to fly down to Kozhikode in a chartered flight.

(ANI)

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