'Nimhans can mentor psychiatry depts in med colleges'

Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr Harsh Vardhan said Karnataka must ensure that by 2022, no one in Karnataka is deprived of mental health care.

Speaking at the 24th Convocation of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (Nimhans) here, he said the government must also ensure that all treatment gaps are eliminated. Dr Harsh Vardhan lauded the efforts of Karnataka towards providing better psychiatric care by ensuring that a district mental health team is established in every district.

Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa has also asked the director of Nimhans to chair a task force and provide a detailed action plan on bridging the treatment gap.

As many as 176 postgraduates were awarded their degree as part of the convocation, while 14 will be honoured with meritorious awards.

Speaking at the convocation, Dr B N Gangadhar, director, Nimhans said the institute had been ranked fourth in the Mera Aspatal survey that measures patient satisfaction.

The director said that NABH had conducted an assessment of the hospital and the report was awaited.

He said the ESIC hospital in Kalaburagi had sought that Nimhans start a centre there. He said that once the MoU is signed, the centre would act as an extension of Nimhans at ESIC.

Harsh Vardhan said Nimhans had a larger role to play. “There are psychiatry departments in all medical college hospitals in the country and institutionalisation has not happened there. Nimhans can be a mentor institute for all these,” he added.

Dr Gangadhar said the state government had already allotted a 30-acre land for the establishment of a comprehensive poly trauma care centre. He sought that Yediyurappa sanction an additional 10 acres of land to establish a training centre for post-graduate teachers.

In a lighter vein, Harsh Vardhan said that when he visited the place, he found that there was an additional 50 acres there and that the state government could hand over this bit of land also along with the 10 acres that has been sought.