NEW DELHI: India is set to get its first dedicated research centre for high-altitude medicine as the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) establishes a specialised facility in Himachal Pradesh to tackle the unique health challenges faced by people living in the Himalayan region.Union Health Minister J P Nadda will lay the foundation stone of the ICMR Centre for High Altitude Medicine and Public Health Research at Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti district on July 11. The facility will upgrade ICMR’s existing field station into a multidisciplinary research hub focused on diseases and healthcare challenges associated with high-altitude living.Scientists at the centre will study altitude physiology and acclimatisation, mountain medicine, climate-sensitive diseases, infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases, maternal and child health, nutrition, mental health, occupational health and disaster medicine. The institute will also evaluate how climate change is affecting disease patterns and healthcare delivery in fragile Himalayan ecosystems.One of the centre’s key objectives will be to develop healthcare solutions for remote mountain communities using telemedicine, digital health platforms, drone-based delivery of medicines and diagnostics, and real-time disease surveillance.Located in the strategically important border district of Lahaul and Spiti, the centre will provide year-round access to high-altitude and tribal populations, enabling long-term studies on the health effects of altitude, extreme weather and environmental change. Officials said the evidence generated is expected to help shape policies on tribal health, disaster preparedness and climate-resilient healthcare.The centre will collaborate with the Armed Forces Medical Services, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the Himachal Pradesh government and academic institutions in India and abroad to undertake research on issues ranging from high-altitude illnesses to emergency medical response in mountainous terrain.Health officials said the facility is expected to strengthen India’s capacity in high-altitude biomedical research at a time when climate change, increasing tourism and expanding infrastructure in the Himalayan region are creating new public health challenges.The foundation stone ceremony will also include a scientific exhibition, launch of the centre’s website, release of a commemorative postal special cover and plantation of native Himalayan saplings under the Green ICMR Campus initiative.
