Arts and Medicine project inaugurated

Union Minister for Food and Consumer Affairs K V Thomas today inaugurated the 'Arts and Medicine' initiative of the Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) at the General Hospital here.
The project, which is being implemented in association with Cleveland Clinic and the district administration, aims at providing solace to the patients and their relatives through arts and music.
The minister said treatment was required not only for the body but also for the mind and spirit. Arts and music could extend relief to the body and the mind, he said.
Iva Fattorini, Chair, Global Arts and Medicine Institute, Cleveland Clinic in Abu Dhabi, said that it had been proved scientifically that arts could provide solace to human beings.

Dr Latha Mani, consultant pediatrician at Healthpoint Hospital in Abu Dhabi, said that even people who had faced torture in the German concentration camps had secretly used art for mental relief. Art is essential for the peace of mind, she said.
KBF trustee and research coordinator Bonnie Thomas said that various programmes will be held on Wednesdays at the General Hospital as part of the Arts and Medicine initiative.