Bengaluru: Dr Chandra retires, no full-time director for Nimhans

BENGALURU: Shockingly, the premier institute for mental health, National Institute of Mental and Neurological Sciences (NIMHANS), has been functioning without a full-time director after the retirement of Dr. Satish Chandra.

The selection process for the post of the director of NIMHANS is done in the same way as that for the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). This means the process for choosing the director must begin at least six months in advance before the seat gets vacant. Because of this, many administrative decisions and policy decisions are affected, said sources.

Although applications have been sought from interested persons, the vital search committee has not been constituted. Which is why the procedure for picking the director gets delayed.

A senior medical person, Dr. Pradhan, who has been deputed as director in-charge, will retire at the end of this month.

On an average, the institute receives at least 1,500 patients on a daily basis. Patients from Karnataka and other states pour in for treatment and consultations. Under such conditions, the institute gains significance and comes under the ambit of the union health department and union cabinet, added sources.

Dr. Satish Chandra says that he had informed about his retirement date at least six months in advance. “I have not filed any application seeking an extension or asking for another term. The union health department has to take a call on the same,” he adds.

Candidates include about 14 professors from different parts of the country. Among them are Dr. Sampath, (neurosurgery), department head, Dr. Gupta (radiology), Dr. B. N. Gangadhar (psychiatry), and Dr. Ravi, registrar of NIMHANS, said sources.

The search committee consists of members from the union food and civil supply department, institutions equivalent to AIIMS, UGC. The committee has to shortlist three names and send these to the union heath department and Prime Minister’s office to pick one among them.

The person selected should be a senior individual and should not have crossed the age of 60. The tenure of Dr. Satish concluded on June 29 and this was brought to the notice of the union health department.

The department has responded by merely inviting applications but it hasn’t done anything further.

Dr. Pradhan said that he would retire by the end of July and he would take up the job only if he was asked to continue. However, he made it clear that he has not applied for the director’s post.