New Delhi: The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) will be getting its first high altitude medicine centre at Keylong in Himachal Pradesh on Monday.
The Centre for High Altitude Medicine and Public Health Research will be inaugurated by Union health minister J P Nadda on Monday. The establishment will strengthen biomedical research and healthcare preparedness in the Himalayan region.
It will focus on public-health challenges arising from high-altitude, extreme-weather conditions, difficult terrain, geographical isolation and climate variability, a statement issued by the health ministry said, as reported by PTI.
The facility, located in the Lahaul and Spiti district, will be the country’s first dedicated centre for high-altitude medicine and public-health research, providing a platform for multidisciplinary studies involving high-altitude and tribal populations, the statement said.
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, will be part of its research.
The facility will also explore the use of digital health platforms, telemedicine, drone-enabled healthcare logistics and real-time public-health surveillance to improve healthcare delivery in remote and hard-to-reach areas.
It is expected to facilitate long-term field studies examining the relationship between environmental conditions, climate variability and health outcomes, while contributing to tribal health, disaster preparedness and the development of climate-resilient healthcare systems, the statement said.
The Centre will also strengthen India’s contribution to global research in high-altitude medicine, the statement added.
The initiative will promote institutional collaboration with the Armed Forces Medical Services, national research institutions and the Himachal Pradesh government to support translational research, scientific exchange, capacity building and evidence-based policymaking.
