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'Fresh and fit' Kejriwal discharged from Bengaluru
A "fresh and fit" Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was discharged on
Monday from a hospital here after 10 days of naturopathy treatment to
cure his chronic cough and high blood sugar and immediately left for the
national capital.
“Kejriwal left for airport in a private
vehicle to board an evening flight to Delhi. He has recovered from the
twin symptoms he had when he came here on March 5 and is fine,†Jindal
Naturecure Institute medical officer Jayachandran told IANS later.
Before
leaving the hospital on the city’s outskirts, Kejriwal told the media
that he was feeling "fresh and fit" and was excited to return home by
late evening.
“My cough and blood sugar level are under control
now. I am feeling fresh and fit after treatment at Jindal,†Kejriwal
said after discharge.
Expressing gratitude to the hospital staff,
including doctors and nurses, for taking care of him, Kejriwal said he
was relieved to be free from nagging cough and high blood sugar as they
affected his health and work.
“I am looking forward to be at home
with family by night and resume work soon. I have been told to strictly
keep away from aerated drinks and oily food. I have learnt a lot about
the importance of diet, rest and regular exercises to stay fit and
remain healthy,†Kejriwal pointed out.
He added in a tweet: "Am excited to return (to Delhi) to resume work."
The
46-year-old Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader was driven to airport by the
party’s state unit convener Prithvi Reddy, followed by a dozen
volunteers.
Kejriwal, however, declined to comment on the crisis
in the party, saying he was pre-occupied with the naturopathy treatment
and had no time to discuss the issues with his colleagues in Delhi or
here.
Kejriwal is accompanied by his parents Gobind Ram and Gita Devi, who too got treated for age related symptoms.
Asked
about the cost of the treatment, Kejriwal hastened to say that he paid
the hospital bills from his own money and won't seek reimbursement from
the Delhi government.
According to hospital sources, Kejriwal was
billed Rs.17,000 a day for accommodation in a three-bed room cottage
‘Nest’ located in the midst of the sprawling institute campus on the
Bengaluru-Pune National Highway.
“Total cost of treatment,
including therapies, massages, yogic exercises and ayurvedic liquids,
fresh juices and dietary food, would have been Rs.10,000-12,000 a day,†a
source said on the condition of anonymity.
Aware of Kejriwal’s
hectic schedule and pre-occupation with political and other engagements,
doctors have advised him to maintain a strict diet, take food at the
prescribed hour and go to bed early and to get up early.
“As
Kejriwal is unable to extend his stay here due to the upcoming budget
session (of the Delhi assembly) and other pressing engagements, we have
prescribed a regime comprising naturopathy treatment, diet and
exercises,†Jindal medical director Babina Nandakumar told IANS.
Kejriwal
was earlier treated at the institute when he came with noted social
activist Anna Hazare in February 2012. He then had high blood sugar
level but no cough.
“Kejriwal stayed with us for 16 days and
followed our nature cure regime, diet and treatment instructions
meticulously. On discharge, his sugar level was within normal limits
without medication,†Nandakumar recalled.
During the last three
years, due to pre-occupation with social and political activities and
punishing schedules, Kejriwal could not maintain the lifestyle changes
he had learnt at the institute.
Preliminary tests on March 5-6
showed that Kejriwal’s faulty and stressful lifestyle, including
consumption of aerated drinks, irregular eating habits, high level of
pollution in Delhi and accumulation of toxins in his body had resulted
in chronic cough and high blood sugar.
“We gave detoxifying
treatment in the form of yogic therapy and diet comprising vegetable and
fresh juices, sprouts, ayurvedic liquids, soup, boiled vegetables and
chapathis to rejuvenate his entire system,†the director added.
The
institute has advised Kejriwal dietary changes and daily practice of
prescribed yogasana, pranayama and kriya -- a form of breathing
technique to cleanse the inner body -- when he returns to Delhi.