Will be discharged from hospital in four to five days, says Union minister Shripad Naik

Panaji: A week after he met with a tragic accident, Union AYUSH Minister Shripad Naik said he would be discharged from Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) near Panaji in four to five days. Naik (68), the Union Minister of State for Defence and AYUSH, was admitted to the GMCH on 12 January after he met with an accident while on his way back to Goa from neighbouring Karnataka. Speaking to news agency PTI, Naik said with everyone’s blessings and by God’s grace, he has recovered from the tragic accident. “I am seeing this day after a long time. I appeal to people not to crowd at the hospital to meet me. I will be discharged in four to five days and after that, I will meet everyone,” he said. Naik urged his well-wishers to pray for his recovery from wherever they are without visiting the hospital. The Union Minister, who has been recovering well at the GMCH, greeted the hospital staff and doctors, as he was brought out of his ward on a wheelchair on Tuesday. Naik’s wife and his close aide had succumbed to the injuries in the accident, while he was admitted to the GMCH in a critical condition.