Our History

As we look back to the beginning of Nur Manzil and its unique services we remember with reverence Dr. E. Stenley Jones, an American missionary and well known friend of India. Nur Manzil owes its existence because of his vision and extra ordinary foresight. For many years, during his service since 1936 Dr. Stanley Jones felt the need for a psychiatric centre which will offer the full benefit of modern psychiatry in an environment in which the individual care and concern for the human being as a whole should prevail. He emphasized that the care of the mind alone would not be enough to reach full health. It is necessary to pay attention to the psychological, social and spiritual needs of the patient for wholistic health. From 1936 to 1949, this vision remaind only a dream. It was on December 13th, 1950, that Nur Manzil psychiatric centre was officially opened.

Over the years Nur Manzil has kept abreast with the recent advances in contemporary psychiatry, and kept adding new facilities as the need and demand increased. Many distinguished Psychiatrists from Sweden, Switzerland, USA, Britain and Australia have contributed greatly to the development of Nur Manzil. The centre made a humble beginning in an old building. It has the distinction of being the first Psychiatric hospital to function on a general hospital pattern in North India under the auspices of the Methodist Church in India.

The OPD services started in 1950 and inpatient facility was added in 1952. The earliest known child psychiatry research was conducted by Dr. Erna Hoch in 1958. In 1963 the Windecker Hall was constructed for patients coming from all across the country and South Asia for Psychotherapy. It was later used as a half-way home. Dr. James Stringham was the clinical director at that time.

In 1978 Dr. Marjory Foyle, then Director introduced the concept of family therapy units. Due to the growing demands parts of the Windecker Hall was converted into Deaddiction unit in 1986. As time passed the two wards become inadequate, both in size and facilities, for the increasing number of acutely disturbed patients requiring brief hospitalization. Behavior Therapy was started by Dr. Keith Bender in 1981.

Today Nur Manzil Psychiatric Centre is actively involved in prevention, treatment, research and non-formal training of students of social work, Psychology, Clinical Psychology and nursing at graduate, post Graduate and Doctoral levels. It was recognized for Housemanship training in Psychiatry by the Medical Council of India in 1980.

The new hospital building was inaugurated on February 21st, 1999. It is a gift from the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church, USA. This was long felt need as the old hospital building was unfit for use due to old age and unhygienic conditions.

Nur Manzil continues to grow in size and popularity to fulfill the Church’s Healing Ministry, in the spirit and love of Jesus Christ.