Songs, dance, laughter and more to lift the spirits of patients for faster recovery
The “Happiness Therapy” introduced by the Delhi government at the Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital for “speedy recovery and better healing” of patients has now been extended to five more hospitals.
Health Minister Satyendra Jain announced the new initiative on holistic treatment on January 17. Now that the pilot project has been successful, the project is being extended to the Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences (MAIDS), Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital, Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital, Dr Hedgewar Arogya Sansthan and Rau Tula Ram Memorial Hospital.
Under proper supervision, the programme includes the use of songs, music, dance, meditation, yoga and laughter to lift the gloomy mental condition of patients, which is compromised by the pain of the disease and the nature of treatments. A happier and more positive frame of mind helps facilitate faster recovery and enables a more optimistic approach to treatment. The Happiness therapy also helps in promoting emotional and social integration of patients and hospital staff.
Said Mr Jain, “The Happiness therapy, involving medical staff and patients in group dance, will help in better healing, speedy recovery, increased harmony and bonding between the staff and patients.” Director-Principal of Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences, Dr Mahesh Verma, said, “Happiness has a lot of healing potential. If one is happy, the merriment magnifies the treatment effects. For a doctor to treat the patient effectively, the intrinsic happiness of both doctor and patient is important.”
Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences also took this opportunity to perform a nukkad natak to spread awareness about the effects of tobacco. Whereas Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital enacted plays about the proper way of washing hands, its importance in hygiene and the importance of vaccination.
Proper measures are being taken to ensure the safety of the recovering patients. So the therapy will be open for participation for all the patients in the government hospitals except for the ICU and emergency ward.