A psychiatrist and mental health expert with nearly 30 years of experience in addiction psychiatry and mental healthcare, Dr Pratima Murthy has played a pivotal role in developing the state-of-the-art Centre for Addiction Medicine at National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (NIMHANS), significantly advancing treatment and research in substance use disorders. She has been serving as the director of the institute since 2021, for a period of 5 years. She has made efforts towards increasing revenue for the hospital through both governmental and CSR grants; expanded infrastructure including a platinum jubilee auditorium, a new administrative block, a centralised lab complex and a psychiatry specialty block. Two new departments and three specialised centres have been established during her term as the director. Under Dr Pratima’s leadership, the institute has developed the national Tele MANAS programme, which has provided telephone counselling services through more than 18 lakh calls, and helped to network with professional mental health services. It has been a moment of pride for Dr Pratima to receive the WHO Geneva's Nelson Mandela Prize for health promotion on behalf of the Institute in 2024 and maintain the fourth prize consecutively in the national institutional ranking framework (NIRF) rating. Another major highlight, under Dr Pratima’s directorship, is perhaps the visit of the President of India, Droupadi Murmu to commemorate the golden jubilee of NIMHANS!
“Take others together and remember, leadership is not always gauged by the position you hold, but the changes you are able to catalyse. So in whatever you do, try to emerge as a leader! “
-Dr Pratima Murthy, Director, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences
