Union Health Minister Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda will lay the foundation stone of the ICMR Centre for High Altitude Medicine and Public Health Research (ICMR-CHAMP) at Keylong in Lahaul & Spiti district, Himachal Pradesh, on 12 October 2026. This represents ICMR's first dedicated centre for high-altitude medicine and public health research, established under the Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India.
The Centre aims to address distinctive public health challenges in the Himalayan ecosystem arising from high altitude, extreme climatic conditions, difficult terrain, geographical isolation, and increasing climate variability. These factors influence disease patterns, healthcare access, occupational health, and emergency response in the region. The research mandate will encompass 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 explore integration 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. Located in Lahaul & Spiti, the Centre will provide an institutional platform for sustained field research involving high-altitude and tribal populations in a strategically significant border region, facilitating longitudinal studies into the relationship between environmental conditions, climate variability, and health outcomes.
The initiative will foster institutional collaborations with the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS), research institutions of national importance in India, and the Government of Himachal Pradesh. These partnerships will support translational research, scientific exchange, capacity building, and evidence-based policy development, advancing the Government of India's vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat in health research and inclusive, climate-resilient healthcare.
The foundation stone laying ceremony will include a traditional Bhumi Pujan, ceremonial groundbreaking, unveiling of the foundation stone, plantation of native Himalayan saplings under the Green ICMR Campus Initiative, inauguration of a scientific exhibition, launch of the Centre's institutional video and website, presentation of the building layout, and release of a commemorative postal special cover.
The event will be attended by Shri Sanjay Seth (Minister of State for Defence), Shri Jai Ram Thakur (Leader of opposition and former Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh), Ms. Kangana Ranaut (Member of Parliament from Mandi), Ms. Anuradha Rana (Member of the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly representing Lahaul & Spiti), Air Marshal Sandeep Thareja (Director General, Armed Forces Medical Services), Dr. Rajiv Bahl (Secretary, Department of Health Research and Director General, ICMR), and other senior officials from Central and Himachal Pradesh Governments, Armed Forces representatives, scientists, and public health experts.