The President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee dedicated the NIMHANS, Bengaluru to the nation as an Institute of National Importance on 22nd December 2015. He also inaugurated the Magneto Encephalography Research Centre and NIMHANS Heritage Museum on the occasion.
Shri Vajubhai Vala, Hon’ble Governor of Karnataka; Shri Siddaramaiah, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Karnataka; Shri HN Ananth Kumar, Hon’ble Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers, Government of India; Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda, Hon’ble Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Government of India & President, NIMHANS; Dr. Sharanprakash R Patil, Hon’ble Minister of State for Medical Education, Government of Karnataka & Vice-President, NIMHANS and Shri BP Sharma, Hon’ble Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India were the guests of honour at the historical event.
The President, in his speech, commended various initiatives of NIMHANS such as setting up of Brain Bank, Free Legal Aid Clinic in its outpatient block, Centre for Well Being, Centre for Public Health and Centre for Addiction Medicine, etc. He stated that these innovations as well as the NIMHANS Community Mental Health and Rehabilitation Centre and Neuro-biology Research Centre (NRC) are successful models that could be replicated in other parts of the country. (For more details click here)
The book titled “Mindscape and Landscape: An Illustrated History of NIMHANS, was released by Shri Vajubhai Vala, Hon’ble Governor of Karnataka. The book traces the history of NIMHANS from its origins in the middle of the 19th century as a lunatic asylum through its journey as the Mysore Government Mental Hospital, the All India Institute of Mental Health, till it became NIMHANS.
The event was also graced by Pramoda Devi Wadiyar, wife of the late scion of Mysore Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar, and titular head Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja. The royal family members visited the NIMHANS Heritage Museum and other parts of the NIMHANS campus, which capture the rich legacy of the country’s first-ever comprehensive mental health care institute.