The Central Government will be granting accreditation to all institutes providing healthcare services in the country in two years. The accreditation programme would include standardisation of procedures and also categorising the health service providers depending on the infrastructure and quality of services being offered by them.

Union minister for health and family welfare, Dr A Ramadoss who was participating at the ninth convocation of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) said that the system of accreditation would help the patients to identify the best hospitals.

The Union Government would also set up healthcare institutes in the northern and southern region in the country to create awareness among the public as well as officials and policy makers on mental health and neurological problems.

The health minister suggested to the finance ministry to levy cess on petrol to raise funds for setting up more trauma centres and accident relief units along the highways to cater to the medical requirements of the accident victims. He informed that the Centre was planning to effect several changes in the medical education system. The changes would be effected in the curriculum in the 2005 academic year.

Dr. D Nagaraj, director and vice chancellor, NIMHANS stated that in the golden jubilee year of the institution, NIMHANS was racing ahead to achieve the highest standards of care for the disorders of the brain and mind. The Institute boasts of state-of-art diagnostic and therapeutic services and public education programmes. At the convocation seventy-five students received their degrees.

NIMHANS has also generated Rs 4.25 crore towards research projects during the year and it has 84 national and 37 international projects.