Bhopal: The Shivraj Singh Chauhan government of Madhya Pradesh will in September flag off astrology OPDs (out-patient departments) in which astrologers and such soothsayers will provide consultation to patients.

Qualified soothsayers will staff these departments under the aegis of the Maharashi Patanjali Sanskrit Sansthan (MPSS), a state government institution in Bhopal.

For three to four hours twice a week, and possibly on weekends too, astrologers, vastu experts, palmists and proponents of Vedic karmakanda will delve deep into the horoscopes and lifelines of patients.

“Like OPDs where junior doctors work under the supervision of seniors, aspiring astrologers will be assisted by experts in dealing with cases in the astro OPDs,” MPSS director P R Tiwari told New Indian Express.

These experts are faculty members who will teach aspiring astrologers, vastu experts and purohits (priests) under three annual diploma courses for astrology, vastu and paurohitya (priesthood) started by the MPSS a few weeks ago.

“The students in these diploma courses will not only act as assistants to qualified astrologers in the OPD, but will also get hands-on training in devising astro-based solutions for different ailments in the manner junior doctors get from senior specialists in regular OPDs,” said Tiwari.

Patients seeking astrological diagnosis will pay a registration fee of 5 rupees “The OPD will help to establish that astrology is not hunch, but a calculative science,” maintained Tiwari.

In these outpatient departments teams of experts and neo-astrologers will study the planetary combinations and changes reflected in the horoscopes of patients. The prognosticators will also analyse the diseases of the patients who come without horoscopes using the prashna kundali technique.