upright=1.1, AFMC main building The Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) is a leading

medical school A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, professional school, or forms a part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, ...

Pune Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...

, India, in the state of

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

. The college is managed by the

Indian Armed Forces The Indian Armed Forces are the armed forces, military forces of the India, Republic of India. It consists of three professional uniformed services: the Indian Army, the Indian Navy, and the Indian Air Force.—— Additionally, the Indian Ar ...

. Established in May 1948 as a post-graduate teaching institution after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

on the recommendation of the BC Roy Committee, remnants of various Indian Army Medical Corps units were amalgamated to create the

Armed Forces Medical Services The Armed Force Medical Services (AFMS) is an inter-services organisation under the Ministry of Defence, covering the Indian Armed Forces. It came into existence in 1948. The current Director General Armed Forces Medical Services is Surg Vice Adm ...

. The AFMC undergraduate wing was established on 4 August 1962, which is also celebrated annually as AFMC Day by its alumni. The institution primarily provides training to medical undergraduates and postgraduates, dental postgraduates, nursing cadets and paramedical staff. Patient care forms an integral part of its training curriculum and the attached hospitals benefits from the expertise available at AFMC. The institution is responsible for providing the entire pool of specialists and super specialists to the Armed Forces. The college is also involved in conducting research in various medical subjects as well as those aspects which would affect the morale and performance of the Armed Forces both in war and peace.

History

Armed Forces Medical College Pune 2012 stamp of India

The facility was originally Set up in 1944 by Lt. Colonel Darshan Singh Vohra to provide artificial limb, appliances and deliver rehabilitative care to the gallant soldiers of the Indian Army, who lost their limbs in combat. Post independence the AFMC was expanded further in 1948 in the immediate post-world war period. On the recommendations of the BC Roy Committee, remnants of the Indian Army Medical Corps units were amalgamated into one unit to create the Armed Forces Medical College. Over the past 50 years, it has grown in its functions. The "Graduate Wing" of AFMC was established on 4 August 1962. The aim of starting this wing was to increase the intake of medical graduates into the Armed Forces. The graduate wing was affiliated to the

University of Pune Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), formerly the University of Pune, is a public state university located in the city of Pune, India. It was established in 1949, and is spread over a campus in the neighbourhood of Ganeshkhind. The uni ...

until 1999 but presently affiliated to the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences. The college is recognised by the

Medical Council of India The Medical Council of India (MCI) was a statutory body for establishing uniform and high standards of medical education in India until its dissolution on 25 September 2020 when it was replaced by National Medical Commission. The Council grante ...

for conducting a five-year and six-month teaching programme leading to MBBS degree. The first batch passed out in October 1966, under one of its founding members, Commandant Maj Gen Noshir Karani. General Karani was Commandant till 1969. It also conducts post graduate courses in many disciplines. One of the first plastic surgery departments in India was established at the college in the early 1950s. On 1 May 2023, in a press conference director general Lt Gen Daljit Singh, told that ''AFMC will get the status of Institute of national importance in the coming years''. On 1 December 2023, during its platinum jubilee year, President

Droupadi Murmu Droupadi Murmu (born Durgi Biranchi Tudu; 20 June 1958) is an Indian politician who has been serving as the president of India since 2022. She won the 2022 Indian presidential election, 2022 presidential election as the Bharatiya Janata Party ...

, granted the President's Colour also known as 'Rashtrapati Ki Nishaan' to Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC).It is the highest honour conferred upon any military unit.

Admission

A total of 150 students are admitted for undergraduate

MBBS A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (; MBBS, also abbreviated as BM BS, MB ChB, MB BCh, or MB BChir) is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education tradi ...

course, 115 boys and 30 girls and five foreign nationals. Admission is on the basis of the NEET UG (formerly through the AIPMT exam), followed by an interview and medical examination . Ten seats are reserved for ST/SC candidates. Students are not allowed to be married or to marry during the course, and are liable to serve in the medical services of the Armed Forces, on successful completion of MBBS. Permanent Commission Officers after serving for a minimum 4 years as Captain can opt for post graduation studies, while short service commission officers can opt for it after 7 years of their service. For admission in post graduation courses, marks obtained NEET PG is taken in account.

Residence halls

The college is fully residential with separate hostels for boys and girls. Residence in the hostels is mandatory for all the cadets for the entire duration of the course. The Boys Hostel is housed in a building which was built in 1965 and comprises 6 blocks of three floors each. There are a total of 277 rooms of approximately area (single-seaters) and 162 rooms of approximately area (double seaters). All the rooms are fully furnished. The girls' hostel was constructed in 1984 and can accommodate 130 cadets in 70 single-seater and 30 double seater rooms. The new Boys Hostel has four blocks with four floors each having 18 spacious rooms with balconies. The officers' floors for officers pursuing their post graduation courses have been incorporated into the boys hostel. Subsidised messing is provided to all medical cadets. The Central Cadets Mess was opened in 2009 for all cadets to dine together.

Infrastructure

There are facilities for sports, including tennis, squash, basketball, and a swimming pool. Canteen facilities for defence personnel are also extended to the medical cadets. It has two auditoria named Dhanvantri and Bharadwaj where high-profile medical conferences are held. AFMC also works as a hospital for civilians and is collaborated with the command hospital (SC).

Departments

* Anaesthesiology & Critical care * Anatomy * Biochemistry * College of Nursing * Community Medicine * Dental Surgery * Dermatology * Forensic Medicine * Geriatrics * Hospital Administration * Internal Medicine * Microbiology * Obstetrics & Gynaecology * Ophthalmology * Orthopaedics * Otorhinolaryngology * Pathology * Paediatrics * Pharmacology * Pharmacy * Physiology * Psychiatry * Radiodiagnosis * Respiratory Medicine * Surgery * Sports Medicine * Transfusion Medicine

Rankings

AFMC was ranked 11 among government medical colleges in India in 2022 by ''

Outlook India ''Outlook'' is a weekly general interest English and Hindi news magazine published in India. History and profile ''Outlook'' was first issued in October 1995 with Vinod Mehta as the editor in chief. It is owned by the Rajan Raheja Group. Th ...

'' and third among medical colleges in India in 2022 by ''

India Today ''India Today'' is a weekly Indian English-language news magazine published by Living Media, Living Media India Limited. It is the most widely circulated magazine in India, with a readership of close to 8 million. In 2014, ''India Today'' laun ...

''. The college was ranked 30th among medical colleges in India by the

National Institutional Ranking Framework National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) is a ranking methodology released annually by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, to rank institutions of higher education in India. The framework was approved by the former Ministr ...

in 2024.

Non-academics

AFMC provides broad-based non-academic exposure too. Students are encouraged to participate in sports and many have excelled in this arena. There are a large number of societies and clubs like the Student Scientific Society, Computer Club, Hobbies Club, Debating Club, Adventure Club, Dance Club and Musimatics. where students can pursue extra-curricular interests. They are encouraged to participate in competitions and conferences all over the country for development of all round personality and officer like qualities. They have also won many laurels in debates, quiz contests and youth festivals in Pune and outside. Over 6000 doctors have graduated from AFMC until now. Recently the entire hostel has been given WiFi connectivity.

Research

Various departments take up research projects either under departmental sponsorship or under the auspices of Armed Forces Medical Research Committee (AFMRC). Apart from service-oriented projects, research in clinical and laboratory subjects is also carried out. AFMC has the facility for animal house, hatcheries for disease producing insects. AFMC is a research and referral centre for confirmation of disease, identification of pathogens (viral and bacterial) and classification of blood disorders.

Affiliations

Affiliated hospitals include Command Hospital (Southern Command), Military Hospital (Cardio Thoracic Centre), Artificial Limb Centre and Military Hospital (Khadki). The college is affiliated to Maharashtra University of Health Sciences.

Notable alumni

* Punita Arora, first woman to reach the rank of

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

in the

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

* Kamala Balakrishnan, immunologist, expert on histocompatibility and transplantation * Padmavathy Bandopadhyay, first woman Air Marshal of the

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the air force, air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflicts. It was officially established on 8 Octob ...

. * Madhuri Kanitkar, third woman to be promoted to

Three-star rank Military star ranking is military terminology, used in mainly English speaking countries, to describe general and flag officers. Within NATO's armed forces, the stars are equal to OF-6–10. Star ranking One-star A one-star rank is usual ...

. * Arti Sarin, served in all three branches of the

. *

Surendra Poonia Major Dr. Surendra Poonia, VSM is an international award-winning sportsman, Limca book record holder, physician, former Special Forces officer of the Indian Army, founder of Soldierathon marathon, Fit Bharat and a politician of Bharatiya Ja ...

, medal-winner in four consecutive world championships in power-lifting * Soumya Swaminathan, paediatrician, Chief Scientist,

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

(WHO), Deputy Director General of Programmes (DDP) of

* Akhilesh Pandey, notable proteomicist. * Anshuman Singh, RMO,

Kirti Chakra The Kirti Chakra () is an Indian military decoration awarded for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice away from the field of battle. It may be awarded to civilians as well as military personnel, including posthumous awards. It is the ...

recipient (posthumously) * Devashish Sharma, RMO,

recipient (posthumously)

References

External links

* *https://www.afmc.nic.in/Departments/Hospitals/alc.html
College dramatics' YouTube channel
{{Cite web, url=https://www.afmc.nic.in/Departments/Hospitals/alc.html, title=Welcome to Armed Forces Medical College Military academies of India Military education and training in India Medical colleges in Maharashtra Universities and colleges in Pune Affiliates of Maharashtra University of Health Sciences Universities and colleges established in 1948 1948 establishments in India