Message from the Director – NIMH

The National Institute of Mental Health, Sri Lanka has a long and rich history. The institute has gone through many challenges to come forth as the Nation‘s Leader in Mental Health Care. In 2008 we saw a major shift in the path of the then Mental Hospital (Teaching), Angoda when it was upgraded as a National Institute by a decision of the Cabinet. In 2009 keeping in line with the development of the institute a policy folder has been introduced to guide all employees of NIMH in ensuring highest quality of care is given to the patients. After 10 years of usage in 2019 a revision of the policy folder was envisaged to make it more relevant and user friendly for the staff.

This digital NIMH Institutional Guidelines Book is a culmination of that effort. It is issued with the purpose of internal usage, referencing for trainees and application on day to day work by the Medical, Nursing, Allied Health and other categories staff.

The main purpose of this is Quality Assurance and Patient Safety Improvement. This guidelines book will also help staff to better streamline their duties so that unnecessary hassle can be avoided.

I thank all contributing authors and the editorial team for the effort taken in making this project a success.

Dr. Dhammika Wijesinghe Director (Actg) 07.04.2022