After a successful run at GTBH, the Delhi government has begun ‘Happiness Therapy’ in 5 more hospitals!
After Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital (GTBH), five more Delhi government hospitals have implemented a ‘Happiness Therapy’, an initiative envisaging physical, cognitive, emotional and social integration of patients and hospital staff.
The project was first rolled out at GTBH by health minister Satyendra Kumar Jain on January 17, 2019. ‘Happiness Therapy’ includes the use of experiential techniques — dancing, singing, yoga, meditation and laughter — to enable holistic and speedy recovery of patients undergoing treatment there. Following this initiative, the Delhi government has directed all hospitals under it to appoint a nodal officer to facilitate the implementation of ‘Happiness Therapy’.
The new hospitals implementing the therapy project are the Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences (MAIDS), Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital, Rajiv Gandhi Super-Specialty Hospital, Dr Hedgewar Arogya Sansthan and Rao Tula Ram Memorial Hospital. One of them, MAIDS, is spreading awareness of such relevant issues as the harmful effects of tobacco among waiting patients through nukkad natak and dance performances.
College student Khushal said after participating in one of the activities, “Performing this was a great experience. It gave us the opportunity to dwell on co-curricular activities and it was great to see the smiles on the patients’ faces.”
Dr Mahesh Verma, Director-Principal of MAIDS, says, “Happiness has a lot of healing power. In merriment, the happy state of one’s mind increases the beneficial effects of treatment. For a physician to treat a patient effectively, both the doctor and patient’s intrinsic happiness is important.
“While treatment takes its own healing course, happiness brings about a synergy that complements the effects of the treatment. Finally, it’s a win-win situation for both doctor and patient,” he adds. The hospital staff at the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital has, so far, launched plays aimed at raising awareness of the importance of washing hands and vaccination among patients and their families. After participating in one such activity, Safina, 32, said, “I didn’t know how to sanitise hands to prevent diseases before I took part in the play.”
