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.