Proposed Ladakh Institute for Research and Public Health Studies
The institute will focus on studies and research in the areas of environmental, occupational, life style related and high altitude diseases and will be based at Dambuchan Leh – Ladakh. Some of the key areas of the institute’s work will involve the following, (many of these are currently being pursued)
Environmental Health
Water: Sample analysis of all drinking water sources (Streams, wells, etc) Establish a laboratory - Ensure adequate testing, monitoring with advice and interventions
Key Areas:
- Flourosis (dental and skeletal)
- Endemic Goiter - Karakoram Belt
- Other potential water-born diseases
Air:
- Standardize data collection instruments
- For pollution from traffic industries
- Personal (tobacco smoking, active and passive)
- Indoor air pollution - Home (heating and cooking devices)
- Occupational and workplace environment
Noise Pollution
- Audiometry facilities in occupational health check up hospital with health education to prevent noise pollution.
- Epidemiology survey to study the prevalence, and common causes of hearing impairments in Ladakh to plane preventive measures with special emphasis during school health check up.
- Special health education drives to prevent noise pollution in public transport, Army establishments and religious centres.
Occupational Health
- Combating alcoholism and drug addiction
- Employee counseling
- Stress management
- Rehabilitation
- Promotion of mental health
- Analysis of industrial accidents and planning prevention
- Audiometry and educational drive to prevent noise pollution
- Health care waste management
- Environmental impact assessment prior to design and establishment of new industrial units
- Advising safe and least polluting technologies including safe handling and disposal of effluents and wastes
Health Promotion and Education: Community Outreach Programme
Plan epidemiological studies, village clinic and health education programmes will carried out in cooperation with Sarpanch, Nambardars (village representatives) and District Health Service infrastructure. Besides well-defined objective: each subject should get the following parameters recorded on their health card: know its significance and strive for the optimum.
Healthy Living
- Yoga
- Cycling
- Brisk walk
- Prostration (Chag religions)
- Meditation
Healthy Diet
- Lots of vegetables
- Cornerstone of cereals
- Love of fruit
- Little meat
- Healthy seasoning - onion, garlic and variety of herbs and spices for flavour.
DASH (Dietary Action on Salt and Hypertension)
Aiming to bring down the community's average salt intake from 10gm (2 teaspoons) per day to 5gm (teaspoonful or less) per day
- Avoid salty food (includes processed food)
- Avoid adding salt to food
- Stop or reduce drinking salt tea
- Reduce fat (e.g. low fat dairy products, less meat)
- Eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables (5 portions per day minimum)
Tobacco Awareness Campaign
- Anti-tobacco campaign in adolescents and adults
- Tobacco cessation programme
Health Education in Schools
Creating awareness through lecture programmes in schools and college about:
- Elementary knowledge of high altitude physiology
- Flora and Fauna
- Relevant history and geography
- Adventure sports
- Rescue operations
- Basic knowledge about prevention and Management of acute mountain sickness and cold injuries
Policy and Research
The institute will be carrying out research to inform policies. Some of the key areas of research are as follows;
- HAPO (High altitude pulmonary oedama)
- HACO (High altitude cerebral oedema)
- Chronic Mountain Sickness (CMS)
- Congenital Heart disease at high altitude
- Rheumatic heart Disease, environment, ethnicity
- Ethnicity altitude and congenital malformation at birth
- Infantile sub acute mountain sickness
- Adult sub acute mountain sickness
- Thrombo embolic phenomenon at high altitude
- Geophysical structure and its relation to diseases like silicosis, fluorosis,endemic goiter
- Zoonotic diseases like brucellosis etc