Kerala government announces aid to kin of nurse Lini who died of Nipah, job to husband

The Kerala government on Wednesday announced a government job to the husband of the nurse who died after contracting Nipah virus from her patients, and Rs 10 lakh each to two of their children.

The government announced the decision after a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in Thiruvananthapuram over the death of nurse Lini Puthussery and the critical situation prevailing in the state.

Lini’s husband, Sajeesh, will be offered a government job based on his qualifications. Their two children, aged five and two, will be given Rs 10 lakh each from the chief minister’s relief fund, a government press release said.

According to the statement, of the amounts sanctioned for Lini’s children, Rs 5 lakh each will be deposited in their bank accounts. The remaining Rs 5 lakh each will be deposited in such a manner that the interest amounts can be utilised by the guardian for the needs of the children.

The government also decided to give Rs 5 lakh each to the next of kin of the nine others who have lost their lives to Nipah.

Lini, who was working in the Perambra Taluk hospital, had contracted the deadly virus from her patients who had sought treatment at the hospital. Sajeesh, who was working in Bahrain, rushed to Perambra on hearing about her illness, two days before her death.

Before her death, Lini had scribbled an emotional last letter to Sajeesh that went viral in social media.

“I am almost on the way. I do not think I can meet you. You should look after our children well,” Lini wrote.

Initially, three patients of a family from Soopykada village in Permabra was admitted at the Perambra taluk hospital for treatment, where Lini was a nurse.

So far, the virus has claimed 10 lives in Kozhikode and Malappuram districts. Two more persons, who died of high fever recently, are suspected to have contracted the virus.