Kerala MLA Uma Thomas shows considerable recovery after severe injuries in stadium fall

Congress legislator Uma Thomas shows improvement after fall at Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kerala; expected to recover fully soon.

The health condition of Congress legislator Uma Thomas, who had sustained severe injuries to the head and lungs after she fell from a gallery at Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium at Kaloor in Kochi in Kerala on December 29, has shown considerable improvement as she walked with the support of a walker on Thursday (January 9, 2025).

“She will be shifted from the intensive care unit to the room today (Thursday) evening. But there will be restrictions on visitors for a few days as we wanted to avoid chances of a secondary infection,” said Dr. Krishnanunni Polakulath, medical director of Renai Medicity Hospital, where she was admitted.

The doctors are now focussing on her rehabilitation by carrying out measures, including respiratory therapy, physiotherapy and occupational therapy. “She is very oriented, stable. However, she does not have any memory of the incident. She was shocked after we showed her the visuals of the accident,” they said.

The medical team pointed out that she may be able to go home in a week’s time, if everything goes as planned.

Ms. Thomas, 59, who represents Thrikkakara constituency in the Kerala Assembly, had sustained serious head and spine injuries after she fell from a height of approximately 15 feet from a VIP gallery at stadium. She reportedly hit her head on the concrete ground.

She was at the stadium to attend a mass dance event aimed at making it to the Guinness Book for the largest number of dancers (about 12,000 people) performing Bharatanatyam simultaneously. A probe carried out by the police had revealed safety lapses at the venue, including the lack of proper barricading on the temporary stage set up above the gallery.