Need to measure happiness quotient in state: Minister K Sudhakar

There is a need to measure the happiness levels of individuals in the state and understand their mental status, said Minister for Medical Education Dr K Sudhakar.

He was addressing the Institute Day event organised by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (Nimhans).

"We are working to measure the happiness index. To understand this, we need to assess the stress levels of individuals. For instance, stress among working women could be far higher than homemakers as they are subject to more pressure," Sudhakar said.

He said he wants to ensure that there is a holistic approach to health. "Mental health needs to be given priority in schools and colleges," the minister said.

He said he wanted to study at Nimhans during his student days but was unable to bag a seat there. He added that he was proud to be the vice-president of the institute now.

Dr B N Gangadhar, director, Nimhans, said the hospital treated over 5.5 lakh patients this year, which is 25,000 more than the previous year. He added that the institute conducted over 20 lakh lab tests. Nimhans has also applied for NABH accreditation and was in the final stages of assessment, he said.

Gangadhar also urged the minister to expedite the process of starting a Trauma Care Centre in North Bengaluru.

On Friday, Deputy Chief Minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan inaugurated three labs at Nimhans under the Neurobiology Research Centre (NRC) — Human Genome Lab, Autoimmune Lab and Neuroinfection Lab.