The Economist: a Nurse, an Obituary - Lini RIP

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INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES

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SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL

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Lini Many Keralans work in the Gulf. More lucrative than staying at home. Dream of Gulf as a magical place. Proud pictures taken outside the house. Study Motivation Ambition Love

Lini - died of the Nipah Virus (fatal in 70% of cases) May 21st 2018, aged 28 Night shift Patient admitted: Mohamed Sadiq from Changaroth Panchayat Fever, breathing difficulty Fluids, paracetamol, change of clothes, sit with all night long The patient died after a few days  Travel by bus to work from Chempanoda, slow but beautiful journey across rivers, areca-nut and rubber trees, past wooded hills. The Western Ghats tower to the east, catch the evening sun. Bats - infected water, or the mangoes nearby. Lini was studying to improve her knowledge ...

Puthussery (family) Lini --------Sajeesh | | --------------- |                    | Rithul (5 yrs)       Sidharth (2 yrs) Sajeesh, away 5 yrs Bahrain working as an accountant Daily phone calls, returned a few times a year Able to afford 1 storey brick house Social media - rumours Origin of infection?

to be eligible for a permanent government nursing job. On contract to Perambra Taluk hospital Upgraded from a community health centre 10 yrs ago Still short of doctors and specialists Difficult cases still go to Kozhikode 50km away Lini worked as a daily-wage nurse - flexible hours. Place not quite paradise as farmers at times gathered to protest when their land was misclassified as protected forest and claims to ownership were rebuffed. Husband tried to get a family visa, but Lini wanted a nursing job in Gulf first. (She loved her work too much)

Obituary, Lini Puthussery, The Economist, June 2nd, 2018, 427, 9094, p.86.