Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda to Lay Foundation Stone for Centre for High Altitude Medicine and Public Health Research in Keylong

Lahul. India's Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda will lay the foundation stone for the Centre for High Altitude Medicine and Public Health Research in Keylong, Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh on July 11, 2026.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) under the Department of Health Research is establishing this center. It will upgrade ICMR's current field station in Keylong into a multidisciplinary research hub focused on high-altitude and climate-sensitive regions.

The Himalayan environment presents unique health challenges due to high altitude, extreme weather conditions, difficult terrain, and increasing climate variability. These challenges directly impact disease patterns, access to healthcare, and emergency response.

The new center will seek scientific evidence and solutions in areas such as the physiology of high-altitude regions, Himalayan medicine, climate-sensitive and emerging diseases, communicable and non-communicable diseases, maternal and child health, nutrition, and disaster medicine. Additionally, digital health platforms, telemedicine, drones, and real-time public health surveillance systems will be integrated to deliver healthcare in remote areas.

Strategically located in a sensitive border area, this center will facilitate long-term studies on the environmental impact on health in high-altitude and tribal populations. The center aims to support national priorities in tribal health, disaster preparedness, and digital health. The center will collaborate institutionally with the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the Himachal Pradesh government, and academic institutions within and outside the country. This initiative is believed to advance the Government of India's self-reliant approach to health research and its campaign for climate-resilient health systems.

The foundation stone laying ceremony will include traditional land puja, planting of native Himalayan saplings under the 'Green ICMR Campus Initiative', a scientific exhibition, the launch of the center's website and video, and the release of a special postage stamp cover. Local MPs, MLAs, the Defence Secretary, the Chief Secretary of Himachal Pradesh, senior officials from the Ministry of Health and ICMR, scientists, and members of the local community will be present at the ceremony.