The National Institute of Mental Health & Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) unveiled major expansion initiatives worth ₹938 crore during its 28th convocation ceremony held on Saturday (December 6). The investment aims to significantly enhance patient care capacity and upgrade the institute’s infrastructure.
At the event, 251 students were awarded degrees and certificates, while 28 outstanding performers received medals and special honours.
Addressing the gathering virtually, Union Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman emphasised the need for NIMHANS to transform patient care into a proactive, data-driven model. She stressed that precision diagnostics and personalised treatment must become core components of mental healthcare, ensuring that “the standard of care a patient receives in a remote district… should not differ from what they receive here in Bengaluru.”
Highlighting the effects of rapid technological shifts, the minister urged NIMHANS to lead multidisciplinary research on how digital overload including compulsive social media algorithms and smartphone overuse is reshaping brain development and emotional well-being. She also encouraged the institute to harness AI to improve diagnostics, enable personalised therapies, develop predictive tools, and widen access to mental health support for millions across India.
NIMHANS Director Dr. Pratima Murthy presented the annual report, marking milestones from the institute’s Golden Jubilee year. Key additions such as the Psychiatry Specialty Block, Central Laboratory Complex, 3T MRI scanner, and DSA system have strengthened clinical and diagnostic capabilities.
The institute registered record patient numbers this year, providing care to 6,85,960 individuals and conducting over 8,000 surgeries.
Among the major projects announced were a 300-bed Polytrauma Centre at the north campus in Kyalasanahalli, sanctioned at a cost of ₹498 crore, designed to deliver advanced trauma and emergency services. Additionally, a new four-storey Outpatient Department (OPD) complex costing ₹440 crore has received approval. With 590 consultation rooms and clinics, the facility is expected to handle more than 5,000 outpatients a day.
Plans are also underway to establish a Museum for Brain and Mind at an estimated cost of ₹36 crore.
Karnataka’s Medical Education and Skill Development Minister Sharan Prakash R. Patil described NIMHANS as a global beacon in psychiatry, neurology, psychology, and neurosciences. Addressing the new graduates, he underscored the importance of empathy in the medical profession, calling them “frontline defenders of humanity” amid a growing mental health crisis.
Patil also announced two new mental health institutes one each in Kalaburagi and Mysuru with an initial allocation of ₹100 crore each. Both centres will be developed in collaboration with NIMHANS.
