Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda will lay the foundation stone for the ICMR Centre for High Altitude Medicine and Public Health Research at Keylong in Himachal Pradesh’s Lahaul and Spiti district on July 11, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
The new facility will transform ICMR’s existing field station in Keylong into a comprehensive multidisciplinary research centre dedicated to advancing healthcare, scientific research and innovation in high-altitude and climate-sensitive regions of India.
The centre will undertake research on a wide range of health issues relevant to mountainous areas, including high-altitude physiology and acclimatisation, mountain medicine, climate-related and emerging diseases, communicable and non-communicable diseases, maternal and child health, nutrition, mental health, environmental and occupational health, and disaster medicine.
To strengthen healthcare delivery in remote locations, the institute will incorporate digital health technologies, telemedicine services, drone-enabled medical logistics and real-time public health surveillance systems.
Situated in a strategically important border region, the Keylong centre will provide year-round access to high-altitude and tribal populations, enabling long-term field studies and research on how environmental factors influence health outcomes.
The ministry said the centre is expected to contribute to national priorities such as tribal healthcare, disaster preparedness and digital health innovation, while also supporting global research in high-altitude medicine. It will collaborate with the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS), the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the Himachal Pradesh government, and leading academic and research institutions in India and abroad to promote translational research and support evidence-based policymaking.
