Delhi government begins 'Happiness Therapy' in five more hospitals

After GTB hospital, five more hospitals that come under the Delhi Government have implemented the 'Happiness Therapy', an initiative envisaging the physical, cognitive, emotional and social integration of patients and hospital staff.

The project was first rolled out in GTB hospital by Health Minister Satyender Jain on January 17, 2019, in GTB hospital. 'Happiness Therapy' encompasses the use of experiential techniques such as dance, songs, yoga, meditation and laughter to enable holistic and speedy recovery.

Following its launch, the Delhi Government directed every hospital to appoint a nodal officer to facilitate the implementation of 'Happiness Therapy'.

The new hospitals that have implemented the therapy project are 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 the five hospitals, MAIDS is spreading awareness on pertinent issues such as harms of tobacco amongst the waiting patients using the mediums of dance and nukkad natak.

A participant in the activity Khushal, a college-going student, said: "It was a great experience performing. It gave us the opportunity to dwell in co-curricular activity and it was great to see the smile on the patients' faces."

Director-Principal of MAIDS, Dr Mahesh Verma said: "Happiness has a lot of healing potential. If one is happy, the merriment increases the treatment effects. For a doctor to treat the patient effectively, the intrinsic happiness of both doctor and patient is important."

"While treatment takes its own course, the happiness brings about synergy which complements the effects of the treatment. Ultimately, it is a win-win for patients and doctors alike," he said.

The hospital staff at Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital has so far enacted plays aimed at raising awareness on the importance of washing hands and vaccination amongst the patients and their parents.

After participating in the activity, 32-year-old Safina said: "I did not even know how to effectively wash hands to prevent diseases until I saw the staff performing the play."