BENGALURU: On the occasion of National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences’ (NIMHANS)  24th convocation on September 16, 176 postgraduates will receive degree certificates, and some will be awarded gold medals in 16 subjects. 

The ceremony will be presided over by Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, who is also the president of NIMHANS along with CM of Karnataka BS Yediyurappa, who is also the Minister for Medical Education and Vice-President of NIMHANS.

Speaking to the media on Saturday, Dr B N Gangadhar, director, NIMHANS, said, “In our efforts to expand, we have added six MD Psychiatry seats exclusively for students from the North East, as they face a shortage of psychiatrists there. We have added 10 seats in DM Neurology, DM Geriatric Medicine and other specialities.”

“We will be opening four new specialised centres: Centre for Integrative Medicine, Centre for Psychosocial Care in Disaster Management, Centre for Consciousness Studies and expand infrastructure of NIMHANS Digital Academy. MRI and CT facilities, Cell Culture Laboratory and Bio-Repository for advanced research and enhanced patient care will also be established soon,” he announced.

In the last year, the institute received a footfall of 5.65 lakh, which is 10 per cent increase from the previous year. Through the virtual academy, they have treated 1 million patients in a year. 

“We have applied for the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers certification to improve our standards,” he added.