On 11 July 2026 the foundation stone was laid for the ICMR Centre for High Altitude Medicine and Public Health Research at Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti, Himachal Pradesh, upgrading ICMR’s existing Keylong field station into a multidisciplinary research hub.
Key facts
- Location and status: India’s first dedicated high-altitude medicine research centre at Keylong, Lahaul and Spiti district, Himachal Pradesh.
- Date: Foundation stone laid on 11 July 2026.
- ICMR upgrade: Conversion of an ICMR field station into a centre for research, innovation and capacity building.
Research agenda
- Physiology and clinical: High-altitude physiology, acclimatisation and mountain medicine.
- Maternal, child and mental health: Maternal and child health, nutrition and mental-health studies in high-altitude populations.
- Public health: Climate-sensitive diseases, environmental and occupational health, disaster medicine and real-time surveillance.
Collaborations & technology
- Planned partners: Armed Forces Medical Services, DRDO, Himachal Pradesh government and national and international academic institutions.
- Health delivery innovations: Integration of telemedicine, digital health platforms and drone-enabled healthcare logistics.
- Population access: Site provides year-round access to high-altitude and tribal populations for longitudinal studies.
IASPOINT Booster Facts
- ICMR: Apex biomedical research body under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; renamed ICMR in 1949 (originated as IRFA, 1911).
- Geographical relevance: Lahaul and Spiti is a trans-Himalayan region with elevations commonly above 3,000 m, suited for acclimatisation research.
- Outcome focus: Centre aims to generate scientific evidence and scalable solutions for health challenges of the Himalayan ecosystem.