Prior to independence during British regime in India, some evidence are available that the mentally ill patients during this period were being treated at Circle Jail, Cuttack as evidenced by a writing in a marble plaque “Mental Asylum” on the very first barrack of the Circle Jail, Cuttack and the old jail road of Cuttack was used to be called as Mental Asylum Road.

After separation of Orissa as a state there was no facility of treatment for mentally ill patients and they were being treated in Indian Mental Hospital, which was subsequently named as Ranchi Manasik Arogyasala (RMA) and now functioning as Ranchi Institute of Neuropsychiatry and Allied Sciences (RINPAS).

  • In continuation to this, the concept of independent provision of psychiatry services particularly for voluntary admission in Orissa dates back to 15th August 1961. Dr. Partha Rao started the Orissa Red cross Mental Hospital in the campus of S.C.B. Medical College, Cuttack under the Indian Red. cross Society, Orissa State Branch, after completing his DPM from Bombay in 1956.
  • During this period, Late Prof.(Dr) Gopal Chandra Mitra started a psychiatric wing in the Department of Medicine of S.C.B. Medical College, Cuttack . Subsequently he did his MD in Medicine, D.M in Neurology and retired as Professor of Neurology of SCB Medical College, Cuttack. During this period, a 10 bedded child psychiatric unit was functioning at the then Institute of Paediatric and Child Health (now Sardar Vallav Vhai Patel Postgraduate Institute of Paediatrics) where Dr. P. Sarojini Dash was working as a registrar after doing her DPM from Bangalore and MD (Medicine) from Utkal University.
  • Govt. of Orissa, Health & Family Welfare Department on 1st April 1966 decided to take over the Sishu Bhavan and Orissa Red Cross Mental Hospital being renamed as Mental Health Institute, Cuttack by a Board formed under common proceedings approved by the Government. The undergraduate teaching program started functioning from 1966 at Mental Health Institute (MHI).
  • Due to non-availability of post-graduate degree in Psychiatry few enthusiastic persons went outside the state for their MD Psychiatry. In 1973 Prof. I.B Das and in 1974, Prof. G.C. Kar and Dr. S.R. Das acquired their post- graduate degrees in Psychiatry from Prince of Wales Medical College, Patna.
  • In 1970, Dr. Bimbadhar Dash joined as Asst. Professor of Psychiatry-Cum-Additional Superintendent, MHI after taking over the charge from Dr. Partha Rao and subsequently in 1971 a new post of Associate Professor was created and Dr. Bimbadhar Dash continued as Associate Professor cum HOD & Addl. Superintendent (additional fulltime charge) and took over the MHI Subsequently, Dr. P’Sarojini Dash who was working at SVPPGIP.Cuttack joined as Asst. Professor of Psychiatry at MHI,Cuttack.
  • However Govt. of Orissa, H & F.W. Dept. Started 2 seats in MD, Psychiatry after the preliminary inspection of Utkal University Dr. Bimbadhar Das, Associate Prof. Of Psychiatry Cum-Addl. Superintendent was promoted the rank of Prof., HOD, Psychiatry in 1980.
  • In 1982 Prof. A.K. Bardhan was the 1st person to be awarded with MD Degree in psychiatry by Utkal University and the same year Dr. Jyoti Mohapatra, DPM (Ranchi), Dr. B.N. Mishra, DPM (Ranchi) and Dr. P.K. Choudhury, DPM(Bombay) acquired their MD Psychiatry degree. Subsequently the same 2 seats are continued one being reserved for direct candidate and other for in service candidate by the Govt.
  • It is worth mentioning that this MD Psychiatry degree did not get the recognition by Medical Council of India (MCI), which got its recognition in 1999 from Mel because of the single handed efforts of Prof. G.C. Kar, President of the Indian Psychiatric society (2000-01) which remained as a milestone to remember for future generation of post graduate students passing out from this institute. Prof G.C. Kar deserves a special note on recognition in this connection.
  • Prof. G.C. Kar took over the Department in 1996 and has been declared as the Prof. HOD Cum-Medical Superintendent (Ex-officio) by the Principal Secretary to Govt., Health & Family Welfare-Dept. In 1999 the Professor and H.O.D Psychiatry, S.C.B Medical College was allowed to work as Ex-officer Medical Superintendent of Mental Health Institute, Cuttack vide order no. ME- 1- Prof 72/ 92/ 44140/ 3.12.19.
  • Mental Health Institute S.C.B Medical College, Cuttack was declared as Center of excellence (COE) in Mental Health on 2010. Subsequently in 2012 a revolutionary step was taken by Health & Family Welfare Department Govt. of Odisha under National Mental Health Programmed (NMHP) of Govt. of India, When the post of Medical Superintendent, Mental Health Institute S.C.B Medical College, Cuttack was declared as Director cum Medical Suprintendent and was kept under Amistration control of Director, Medical education and training (DMET) vide order no MH-16/2012/34082/H dated 28.12.12.Prof (Dr) N M Rath was the First director cum Med superintendent in 2012. Three new departments like Department of Clinical Psychology (CP), Department of Psychiatric Social Worker (PSW) and Psychiatric Nursing have been opened in addition to Department of Psychiatry at Mental Health Institute to cater both teaching & treatment.
  • Prof (Dr) Sarada Prasanna Swain has taken over the charge of Director cum Medical superintendent in 20.01.2018. The process of autonomy was initiated by Prof Dr S P Swain and a decision was taken on meeting held under chairmanship of the then Commisioner cum Secretary Dr Pramod Kumar Meherda on ameeting held in 05.10.2018 to give Functional Autonomous Status MHI. Finally in 25.02.2019 ,Mental Health Institute (Center of Excellence) was given Adequate Function Autonomous status by Govt. of Odisha vide letter no 5076/25.02.2019 when three Department like Department of Clinical Psychology (CP), Department of Psychiatric Social Worker(PSW), Department of Psychiatric Nursing are brought under the administrative control of Director M.H.I, Cuttack.
  • From 2018 MHI(COE) has two MCI (MEDICAL COUNCIL OF INDIA) Units with 5 M.D (Psychiatry) Seats , 8 MPhil.seats in Clinical Psychology, 6 MPhil seats in Psychiatry Social Work(PSW) and 20 seats in Post Basic in Psychiatry Nursing(PBDPN) with 150 beds for the Patients care.

Clinical Material

M.H.I, S.C.B MEDICAL COLLEGE & HOSPITAL, CUTTACK, ODISHA. DATA OF PATIENTS FOR THE LAST TWENTY YEARS (OPD)
Year OPD (New) OPD (Old) Grand Total
Male Female Child Total Male Female Child Total
1998-99 3426 2478 353 6257 5492 3968 622 10082 16339
1999-00 2122 1574 252 3948 8898 4199 506 13603 17551
2000-01 2947 1829 232 5008 9324 4824 638 14786 19794
2001-02 2857 2006 238 5101 9755 5679 521 15955 21056
2002-03 2861 2231 308 5400 10307 6150 550 17007 22407
2003-04 3214 2357 321 5892 11129 7102 802 19033 24925
2004-05 2919 2333 290 5542 12301 7705 941 20947 26489
2005-06 2585 2045 241 4871 12802 7866 1103 21771 26642
2006-07 2324 1764 376 4464 13853 6949 453 21255 25719
2007-08 2528 1767 456 4751 12169 7060 284 19513 24264
2008-09 2557 1819 408 4784 14544 7935 362 22841 27605
2009-10 2994 2044 361 5399 18537 8872 450 27829 33258
2010-11 4534 3174 788 8496 22751 12584 383 35718 44214
2011-12 4880 3429 561 8870 27132 16295 451 43878 52748
2012-13 5365 3998 523 9886 27739 18680 543 46962 56848
2013-14 6276 4705 465 10846 25178 16886 487 42551 53397
2014-15 5986 4219 495 10700 27437 17691 315 45443 56143
2015-16 5910 4179 592 10681 28887 19715 223 48825 59506
2016-17 4091 2799 496 7386 25556 14917 519 40992 48378
2017-18 6077 4201 744 11022 37310 21896 847 60053 71075
2018-19 6500 4521 781 11802 37572 22301 1144 61017 72819
2019-20 6726 1608 661 11995 39886 23462 989 64337 76332
M.H.I, S.C.B MEDICAL COLLEGE & HOSPITAL, CUTTACK, ODISHA. DATA OF PATIENTS FOR THE LAST TWENTY YEARS (IPD)
Year IPD
Male Female Child Total
1998-99 774 390 15 1179
1999-00 872 408 20 1300
2000-01 930 415 21 1366
2001-02 955 423 24 1402
2002-03 1118 544 25 1687
2003-04 1316 731 37 2084
2004-05 1169 675 24 1868
2005-06 1134 577 32 1743
2006-07 924 496 22 1442
2007-08 977 459 13 1449
2008-09 1063 511 27 1601
2009-10 1277 628 19 1924
2010-11 1468 766 46 2280
2011-12 1963 878 23 2864
2012-13 1835 989 24 2848
2013-14 1948 1086 37 3071
2014-15 2095 1114 43 3252
2015-16 2233 1159 49 3441
2016-17 1559 824 34 2417
2017-18 2331 1211 74 3616
2018-19 2336 1552 58 3946