P. K. Sreemathy

P. K. Sreemathy Biography

P. K. Sreemathy, fondly called Sreemathy teacher is an eminent lady politician and parliamentarian from Kerala. She belongs to Communist Party of India (Marxist) and is a member of 16th Lok Sabha, representing Kannur constituency. She served as the Health and Family Welfare Minister of Kerala in V. S. Achuthanandan’s cabinet during 2006-2011. She was elected to state assembly from Payyannur constituency. During her tenure as State Health Minister, her stand on private practice of government doctors gained quick attention. Her decisions received warm welcome as well as huge criticism. She also extended the working hours of doctors in Primary Health Centres till afternoons. In 2014 Lok Sabha elections, she defeated Indian National Congress's K. Sudhakaran by a narrow margin of only 6566 votes.  She is married to Damodaran Nambiar and the couple has one son.

Sreemathy was born on 4 May 1949 in Mayyil, Kannur. After studies, she started her teaching career and for the same reason she is addressed as Sreemathy teacher with respect. She has been active in Political and Social Work for over 3 decades. She served as Standing Committee Chairpeson of Kannur District Council and also as President, Kannur District Panchayat from 1995 to 1997. Currently she serves as the All India Democratic Women's Association State secretary and also a member of CPI (M) National Committee.

She got elected to Kerala State Assembly for the first time in 2001. She got elected from Payyannur constituency. She got elected for the second time in 2006 from the same constituency and got a position in state cabinet. In 2009, under her efforts as health minister, Kerala state government decided to ban private practice by doctors working in government-run medical, dental and nursing colleges in the state. But their salaries were hiked as means of compensation. Yet she had to face wide criticisms for her decisions.

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Updated: June 16, 2014