Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad on Friday admitted that there was a necessity to set up regional centres of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) in all States.
He was inaugurating the new infrastructure facility at NIMHANS in Bangalore.
Throwing open the various facilities, including e-hospital services, expanded sewage treatment plant, hostel complex and a dining hall, the Mininster said there was a demand from Rajya Sabha members for setting up regional centres of NIMHANS in all States, but it would take considerable time to accomplish that.
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Speaking about the difficulty of people having to come all the way to Bangalore for treatment, the Minister said it was better to set up separate departments for mental health in top medical colleges in each State.
He promised support for these departments and said the government would increase the number of seats in NIMHANS to train more psychiatrists.
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Mr. Azad complimented members of the Rajya Sabha for supporting the Bill that sought to declare NIMHANS as an institute of national importance on the lines of the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi.
The newly acquired status would help in getting greater academic autonomy in framing syllabus, conferring degrees, increasing intake and improving its own manpower without the approval of the Medical Council of India, he added.