Gautam Gambhir-Ashish Nehra Sri Lanka trip unhealthy trend: Health minister

Delhi Daredevils players Gautam Gambhir and paceman Ashish Nehra’s ayurvedic treatment in Sri Lanka has not gone down well with the health ministry. Upset with the fact that these sportsperson went to Lanka for an ayurvedic treatment when India itself is popular for expertise in the field, a senior official of the health ministry has shot off a letter to the youth affairs and sports ministry seeking help to promote ayurveda and other Indian medicine systems among the sportspersons.

Health ministry has a separate department for the Indian medicine system — Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Sidha and Homeopathy (AYUSH). The ministry is clearly not happy with the beginning made by the cricketers and fears that this may set the trend for others too, particularly at a time when AYUSH wants to promote Indian medicine system during the Commonwealth Games.
“India has very good ayurvedic doctors and had the sports ministry asked us, we would have provided them a list of certified hospitals,” the official said.

Gambhir and Nehra went to Sri Lanka for ayurvedic treatment on a suggestion from the team’s Sri Lankan player Tillakaratne Dilshan (Delhi Daredevils), who had recommended R Eliyantha Lindsay White.