The UT Ayush department will soon start sending its doctors to yoga camps at city schools in the morning. Offcials said doctors would also give medical plants to the yoga participants. Free yoga classes for Tricity residents are currently available at 38 schools in Chandigarh. The UT health department has already written to the Ministry of Ayush to begin free yoga classes for Tricity residents in more schools of Chandigarh.
On Monday, the Ayush department said it was planning to send doctors to these yoga camps for free consultation. “Doctors would be sent to those camps where 40-50 people are doing yoga,” said UT Health Secretary Anurag Agarwal. “It will be a kind of Ayush OPD at these schools where consultation would be provided,” he added. “It will be done on rotational basis. Other than free consultation, we are planning to provide free medicines to the public as well,” said Dr Rajiv Kapila, nodal officer for National Ayush Mission. He stated that through these camps, doctors would also create awareness on how one can benefit from medical plants.
“We will provide medical plants and explain how they can be used to treat diseases,” said Kapila, adding that the medical plants include Giloy which is used for immunity, Stevia and Ashwaganda plants.
According to Agarwal, they want to use the yoga camps in the city to create a link between the public and the Ayush department. “We are also hoping to take the number of yoga classes to 100 schools. Once we are able to do it, it will be a big thing for the city.”
The Chandigarh health department has already initiated several steps to promote yoga in the city. The administration has started the process of setting up Ayush hospitals in the city. This year, the Department of Ayush and the UT administration are planning to organise a host of activities on International Yoga Day on June 21.