National Institute of Mental Health & Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, celebrated its 18th Convocation on 05 Feb 2014. This was a special day as it was the first convocation after the Institute became an institute of national importance. The newly constituted institute governing body participated in the convocation. On this day, 116 students received their degrees with great pride and honour. Prof. P. Satish Chandra, Director & Vice- Chancellor, NIMHANS welcomed the gathering and gave a report of the NIMHANS activities. Prof. P. Satish Chandra stated that an estimated 46,18,365 patients received treatment from various sections of the NIMHANS hospital which includes brain and spinal surgeries and extension clinics, apart from outpatient and inpatient services.
He also spoke about NIMHANS having 14 international and 16 national collaborations and MOU’s signed with major universities across the world, sakalwara remodelled as Sakalwara Community Mental Health Centre and installation of a ‘State of art’ Magneto Encephalography equipment (MEG), the only one of its kind in the country at NIMHANS to keep up with the recent scientific advances and translate it to diagnostic management. This equipment has facility for co-registration of MRI, CT and PET scans along with EEG/Video EEG data over MEG images. He stressed the graduating students to develop innovations and models that are context specific and relevant locally and culturally. Dr. Shranprakash R. Patil, Honourable Minister of State for Medical education, Government of Karnataka and Vice-President, NIMHANS addressed the gathering.
Shri. Ghulam Nabi Azad, Honourable Union Minister for Health & family Welfare, Government of India and President, NIMHANS declared the convocation open and addressed the gathering comprising of Director, Institute Body members, Chief Guest, Vice-President, Past directors and faculty, faculty and staff of NIMHANS, students and family members. He stressed that the mental health care bill, 2013 which seeks to protect the rights of persons with mental illness, access to healthcare, health insurance and the individual's right to decide on treatment will be passed in the current session of Parliament and also process has been initiated to start NIMHANS like centres across other parts of India.
The special guest for the evening Mrs. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Chairman & Managing Director, Biocon Limited, Bangalore, delivered the convocation address stressed on the need for translational research to gather data from fields as diverse as epidemiology, psychology, economics and behavioural sciences to develop techniques and tools that can ensure the future survival of the human beings.
The convocation ended with Shri. Ghulam Nabi Azad, Honourable Union Minister for Health & family Welfare, Government of India and President, NIMHANS declared the convocation declaring the convocation dissolved. The evening further ended with tea and snacks arranged at the venue to celebrate the occasion.