Congress MLA from Kerala’s Thrikkakara, Uma Thomas, is under critical care treatment for injuies to head and spine after falling from a gallery at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kochi on Sunday evening.
The severely bleeding MLA was rushed to a private hospital near the stadium by volunteers and others.
According to a medical bulletin issued on Monday, cited in a news agency PTI report, the private hospital treating her stated that while her vital signs remain stable, she needs to stay on the ventilator for several days due to severe lung injuries.
Priority is given to treat the lung injury with antibiotics, the bulletin added.
A CT scan conducted on Monday morning revealed that the head injury has not worsened, and there is no increase in internal bleeding, it said.
However, the lung injuries have slightly worsened, the bulletin said.
The scan also detected an undisplaced cervical spine fracture, it noted.
Kerala Law Minister P Rajeeve said that Thomas’ condition shows signs of improvement.
“She has sustained a head injury and multiple fractures. She needs to be monitored for the next 24 hours. We are providing all the medical help,” Kerala Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan told ANI on Sunday night.
“At the beginning, we thought it was a grave situation,” he added.
Visuals of the incident that surfaced on social media showed people at the venue lifting an unconscious Uma Thomas and rushing her to a hospital.
What happened?
Uma Thomas had arrived at the stadium to attend the Mridanga Naadam, Bharatanatyam Programme which was scheduled to be inaugurated by the Kerala Culture Affairs Minister Saji Cherian.
Approximately 12,000 dancers, including actor-dancer Divya Unni, performed Bharatanatyam at the program in a bid for a Guinness World Record.
According to Congress sources cited in the report, there was limited space in between the front row seats and the edge of the gallery that was ‘barricaded’ using a ribbon.
She reportedly hit her head on the concrete ground after falling from the VIP gallery of the stadium, approximately 15 ft high, sources said.
State health minister Veena George and industries Minister P Rajeeve, who visited the hospital, said an expert medical team from the Health Department would soon join the hospital’s doctors.
The team, led by Kottayam Medical College Superintendent Dr Jayakumar, includes specialists from Kottayam Government Medical College and Ernakulam Government Medical College, along with the hospital’s existing medical board, PTI reported.
The health minister also held discussions with Minister Rajeeve, who is in-charge of the district, and interacted with the doctors overseeing Uma Thomas’s treatment.
