Kochi: US-based public healthcare expert Dr S S Lal has been appointed the new president of the Kerala unit of the All India Professionals' Congress (AIPC).
Lal replaced Mathew Kuzhalnadan who quit the post after he was appointed KPCC general secretary a couple of months ago. The decision was announced by AIPC chairman Shashi Tharoor in a statement.
A native of Thiruvananthapuram, Lal works as the director, Infectious Diseases (TB Portfolio) at FHI 360, an American International Health Organization.
He has earlier worked for the World Health Organization in India and in East Timor after which he moved to Geneva, Switzerland, as a senior officer at The Global Fund. In 2013, he moved to Washington DC, USA to lead a global department of PATH, an American international health organisation.
He is a popular face of panel discussions on Malayalam news channels.
He has also published books in various genres including short stories and novels.
Lal plunged into political activism during his student days. He was an NSU leader and the elected chairman of the University College (1981-82) and the Medical college (1986-88) in Thiruvananthapuram.
Lal's appointment comes at a time when the AIPC's state unit has earned appreciation for its contributions to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Led by Tharoor, the activists of the AIPC have been engaged in helping containing the virus with the motto of 'technology assisted crisis management.
AIPC state secretary Sudheer Mohan, a technology professional with global experience, installed the first foot-operated hand wash facility in Kerala in Fort Kochi during the initial days of the virus outbreak. The organisation has distributed contactless infra red thermometers to various hospitals, local bodies and organisations in the past few weeks.
Apart from Kerala, AIPC has also announced its new leaders in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Telangana.
