Why Southern Rajasthan Needs an ICMR Centre: A Case for Udaipur, Salumbar and Pratapgarh

Southern Rajasthan, especially the Udaipur–Salumbar–Pratapgarh belt, requires a dedicated Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) centre because it combines a large tribal population, difficult forest and hill geography, a distinctive disease ecology, and important gaps in locally generated health evidence. The argument is not that existing medical colleges, district hospitals or the ICMR-National Institute of Health Research (NIHR), Jodhpur, are unnecessary. Rather, the region needs a permanent field-facing institution that can study health problems where they occur, strengthen district surveillance, train local researchers and translate evidence into public-health action. This chronological review traces the evolution of India’s biomedical and tribal-health research agenda, examines the specific evidence from southern Rajasthan, and proposes the functions of a centre headquartered at Udaipur with field units in Salumbar and Pratapgarh.