Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda will lay the foundation stone of the Indian Council of Medical Research’s first dedicated centre for high-altitude medicine and public health research at Keylong in Himachal Pradesh’s Lahaul and Spiti district on October 12.
The ICMR Centre for High Altitude Medicine and Public Health Research (ICMR-CHAMP) is being established under the Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, to strengthen multidisciplinary research, innovation and capacity building in India’s high-altitude and climate-sensitive regions.
The centre will address public health challenges arising from high altitude, extreme weather, difficult terrain, geographical isolation and increasing climate variability. These conditions affect disease patterns, healthcare access, occupational health and emergency response in the Himalayan region.
Its work will focus on generating scientific evidence and developing locally appropriate, scalable healthcare solutions for people living and working in these environments.
The research mandate will cover high-altitude physiology and acclimatisation, mountain medicine, climate-sensitive and emerging diseases, infectious and non-communicable diseases, maternal and child health, nutrition, mental health, environmental and occupational health, and disaster medicine.
The centre will also explore digital health platforms, telemedicine, drone-enabled healthcare logistics and real-time public health surveillance to improve services in remote and hard-to-reach areas.
Located in a strategically significant border region, ICMR-CHAMP will support sustained field research involving high-altitude and tribal populations. Its location will facilitate long-term studies examining links between environmental conditions, climate variability and health outcomes.
The centre is expected to contribute to tribal health, disaster preparedness, digital health innovation and climate-resilient health systems, while strengthening India’s contribution to global research in high-altitude medicine.
Collaborations with the Armed Forces Medical Services, research institutions of national importance and the Himachal Pradesh government will support translational research, scientific exchange, capacity building and evidence-based policymaking. The initiative seeks to advance self-reliance in health research and inclusive, climate-resilient healthcare.
The foundation stone ceremony will include a traditional Bhumi Pujan, groundbreaking and unveiling of the foundation stone. Native Himalayan saplings will be planted under the Green ICMR Campus Initiative.
Nadda will also inaugurate a scientific exhibition, launch the centre’s institutional video and website, and release a commemorative postal special cover. The programme will include a presentation of the building layout.
Those scheduled to attend include Union Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth; former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur; Mandi MP Kangana Ranaut; Lahaul and Spiti MLA Anuradha Rana; and former MLA Ravi Thakur.
Other attendees will include Armed Forces Medical Services Director General Air Marshal Sandeep Thareja; Department of Health Research Secretary and ICMR Director General Rajiv Bahl; Joint Secretary Manisha Saxena; ICMR Senior Deputy Director General for Administration Vivek Kumar Daksh; Additional Director General for Extramural Research Alka Sharma; and Senior Financial Adviser Richa Pandey.
Senior Central and state government officials, Armed Forces representatives, scientists, public health experts and research institutions will also participate.
