Kejriwal to begin natural therapy for cough

Bengaluru, March 5 (IANS) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will undergo natural therapy over the next 10 days for treating his dry cough at a private hospital here, a medical officer said Thursday.

"We have prescribed natural therapy from Friday for Kejriwal who suffers from chronic cough besides having high blood sugar level," said Jindal Naturecure Institute chief medical officer Babina Nandakumar.

After admission into the hospital and hour-long rest, a team of doctors conducted an ECG (electrocardiogram) test on 46-year-old Kejriwal and found it to be normal.

"Blood test and test for chronic cough will be taken Friday. Initial assessment shows he also has high blood sugar level and dry cough," Nandakumar said.

Kejriwal, who is accompanied by his parents Gobind Ram and Gita Devi, is put up in a four-bedroom cottage in the sprawling hospital on the city's outskirts.

"As in the case of other patients, Kejriwal will also be on a strict diet consisting of boiled vegetables, Indian wheat bread (chapthi) and soup," the officer said.

The naturopathy treatment comprises a series of exercises, including yogic postures (asanas), walking, breathing and organic food.

"The day-long treatment begins at 5.30 a.m. and goes on till 8.30 p.m. Early to rise and early to bed is the norm. During treatment, patients are not allowed to make phone calls and visitors are not allowed to meet them," the lady doctor said.

Though the naturopathy treatment at the institute is for a minimum of three-four weeks, the doctors will decide if Kejriwal can be allowed to leave after 10 days or extend his stay by a week or so.

Earlier, on arrival from New Delhi on state-run Air India flight, hundreds of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) volunteers and supporters greeted and cheered Kejriwal outside the airport.

Declining an official vehicle arranged by the Karnataka government, Kejriwal drove to the institute on National Highway 4 in the vehicle of the party's state unit convener Prithvi Reddy.

Though Kejriwal also declined Z plus security, police escorted his vehicle to the hospital from the airport, 40 km away, creating a green corridor by clearing traffic enroute in advance and passing through the toll gate without paying fee.

"As Kejriwal is a chief minister with high security, he is exempted from toll fee as in the case of VIPs and state executives," an AAP spokesman told IANS.

Police have deployed additional personnel in and around the institute to provide adequate security to Kejriwal and regulate movement of people and vehicles.

Kejriwal declined to speak to the waiting media personnel, including a large number of reporters from local and national news channels at the airport and the institute.