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There are so many inspiring stories of women at the forefront of the fight against COVID 19. Some have taken the initiative independently and while others have used their position in official government positions. One such shining example is female IAS Officer and recently-retired Union Health Secretary, Preeti Sudan. Between June 2019 and July 2020, she served in her post and her time in the position had to deal with the outbreak of the ongoing pandemic. As part of her responsibilities, she led the way when it came to sharing key information with the entire country about the virus when little was known about it and it was just beginning to spread.

Faced with a challenging situation, the ex-Health Secretary shouldered some very important responsibilities and was always leading from the front. Her job was three-pronged. First, she had to create a strategy to tackle the outbreak effectively and in coordination with the Prime Minister's Office to ensure that the unavoidable outbreak of the virus would be contained as effectively as possible while minimizing the damage it would cause across the country. Looking at the number of cases that were reported within the first two months, it was clear that she had successfully dealt with the task at hand. For example, she created the zoning system which helped identify the level of infections within every area in each city. She also created protocols for restricted travel during the early days of the outbreak.

As more and more people joined the fight at the forefront against COVID-19, Preeti Sudan was one of the many inspirational women in India who were more than up for the challenge. She comforted the nation at a time when it was a delicate situation as migrant workers were heading back to their hometown and there was a mass exodus of people from bigger cities. Through regular and effective press briefing, she was not only able to give important and necessary updates to the entire country but also ease the fears of the people. Her calm and confident nature saw her deal with common and frequently asked questions comfortably and with positivity. If that is not the definition of a woman warrior, then what is?

Finally, she used her position to ensure the containment of the outbreak within as small an area as possible within the states. She was continuously in touch with officers in every state who was in charge of dealing with the outbreak and she was very proactive in ensuring that all the departments were executing their tasks in the best way possible. As the Union Health Secretary, she used her powers to oversee the execution of such tasks personally for every state emerging as one of the key women leaders in our country. She acted as the first and most important point of contact for all disease-related queries that were directed at the government by both, the media and the general public.

The former Health Secretary has a very rich educational background. She holds a Master's degree in Economic Philosophy and a doctorate in Economics from the prestigious London School of Economics. Her drive to serve the country saw her rise from the Andhra cadre as one of the early women IAS officers in the country. Her service to the nation saw her serve several positions including Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Defence and a Special Secretary in the Ministry of Women and Child Development. One of her most recent positions was as a Secretary in the Department of Food and Public Distribution. She was also at the forefront of dealing with the Kerala floods in 2019 and her action drew her high praises from all sections of the government.