The Union government has introduced a Bill in the Rajya Sabha to upgrade the National Institute of Mental Health Sciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore as an institute of national importance on similar lines of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

According to the objectives of the Bill, the conferring of the statutory status on NIMHANS would enable it to grow into a model centre for excellence. The Bill would empower NIMHANS with academic autonomy to develop its own curriculum, set new trends in mental health and neuro sciences, award its own degrees besides allow it to have administrative and financial powers.

As per the draft Bill, the Union Health minister, would be NIMHANS’ president, its  present director of NIMHANS, Director General, Health Services, government of India, vice chancellor, Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences and the chief secretary of the government of Karnataka would be the ex-officio members, besides the secretaries of the health, finance and human resources at the Centre.

It would also have a team of seven members including non medical scientists and four representatives of medical faculties of the Universities nominated by the Centre.

Pharmabiz had earlier reported that the Bill would facilitate NIMHANS to develop patterns of teaching, with the flexibility to device new courses, constantly evolving syllabi. The Institute will be able to take up new courses that are required and are not currently part of the Medical Council of India (MCI) approved courses.

Currently, NIMHANS which has around 140 doctors and 21 departments is recognized for its psychiatric care, neuro surgical efforts, handling of accident trauma and providing timely intervention to control epilepsy. There are several faculty member who have bagged awards for their finding in schizophrenia and neuro microbiology, neuro virology among others.

NIMHANS which has a ‘multi-modal intervention’ platform with psychiatrics, psychologists and social workers also looking at holistic therapies where integration of Yoga and Ayurveda can be used to confront the biological and psychosocial aspects of schizophrenia.

NIMHANS is also one of the country's seven Bio-Safety Level III Labs and among the 18 network labs in the country to test H1N1.

The Institute had also inked pact early this week with Maastricht University, a global university in Netherlands with research focus on infectious diseases, degenerative disorders, age related neurology conditions including dementia, Alzheimer’s, depression and genetic mental diseases, stated Prof P Satishchandra, director, vice chancellor, NIMHANS.

He stated that with NIMHANS being accorded as institute of national importance, would see more opportunities for development in the area of mental health and neurosciences.