Mental Wellness: NIMHANS to Be Nodal Body for BRICS Centres of Excellence

Source: The Indian Express | Original Published At: 2026-09-12 23:32:40 UTC

Key Points

• NIMHANS is to serve as the nodal body for BRICS Centres of Excellence on mental wellness.
• The BRICS declaration envisions a Network of Centres of Excellence to support collaborative research, policy dialogue, exchange of best practices, and evidence-based mental health promotion across BRICS countries.
• The declaration welcomes a Compendium of Best Practices on Promotion of Mental Wellness.
• It emphasizes addressing mental health consequences of crises through timely, accessible, and sustained mental health and psychosocial interventions, especially for vulnerable groups including children and adolescents.
• The declaration endorses the BRICS Mission for Healthy Lifestyle and the BRICS Roadmap for the Joint Initiative on Healthy Lifestyle Promotion (2026-29).
• It supports the proposed establishment of a BRICS Expert Working Group on Traditional and Integrative Medicine under the BRICS Health Track.
• The working group is expected to coordinate research on medicinal plants and herbal preparations while ensuring quality, safety, and efficacy through an evidence-informed approach.