Armed Forces Medical College (India)



The Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) is a premier medical college in Pune, India in the state of Maharashtra. The college is managed by the Indian Armed Forces.

Established in May 1948 after World War II on the recommendation of the BC Roy Committee, remnants of various Indian Army Medical Corps units were amalgamated to create the Armed Forces Medical College. Its undergraduate wing was established on 4 August 1962, which is celebrated annually as AFMC Day by its alumni across the globe.

AFMC has been ranked consistently among the top medical colleges of India, with the Outlook 2012 survey ranking it second amongst all the undergraduate medical institutions of the country.

The institution has reinforced all the three services of the Indian Armed Forces by providing a pool of 'doctor soldiers'. It primarily imparts 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
The AFMC was set up 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 till 1999 but presently affiliated to the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences. The college is recognised by the Medical Council of India for conducting 5 years and 6 months teaching programme leading to MBBS degree. The first batch passed out in Oct 1966. It also conducts post graduate courses in many disciplines.

One of the first plastic surgery departments in India, was established at the college in early 1950s.

Admission
Admission to MBBS course is on the basis of the AIPMT exam. This is followed by an interview and then after the final selection, 130 students, including 25 girls, are admitted to the College. All these students are liable to serve in the medical services of the Armed Forces, on successful completion of MBBS, for at least seven years.

Halls of Residence
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 3 floors each. There are a total of 277 rooms of approximately 8 m² area (single seaters) and 162 rooms of approximately 18.5 m² area (double seaters). All the rooms are fully furnished. The girl's hostel was constructed in 1984 and can accommodate 130 cadets in 70 single seater and 30 double seater rooms. The new Boys Hostel has 4 blocks with 4 floors each having 18 spacious rooms with balconies. The officers' floors for officers pursuing their post graduation courses have recently been incorporated into the boys hostel. Free messing is provided to all medical cadets.The Central Cadets Mess was opened in 2009 for all cadets to dine together.

Status
AFMC is the only medical college except Army Medical College, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, in Asia where all expenses are paid by the Government (Ministry of Defence). Medical Cadets receive free tuition, free lodging and boarding, uniforms, book subsidies and an allowance for upkeep of the uniforms.



Infrastructure
The campus is full of gardens, trees and flowers which are maintained by the defence personnel. 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. Dhanvantri also screens two films a month for cadets, officers, other ranks and their families within the college campus. One more department of medicine has been set up on campus to improve its faculty. AFMC also works as a hospital for civilians and is collaborated with command hospital. In 2013 India Today Rankings, it was ranked #3 among medical colleges in India

Rankings
In 2013 India Today Rankings, it was ranked #3 among medical colleges in India Outlook India also ranked Armed Forces Medical College, Pune at #2 in 2012

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, Musimatics etc. 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
The various departments are very active in taking up research projects either under departmental sponsorship or under the auspices of Armed Forces Medical Research Committee (AFMRC). Apart from service-oriented projects, research inclinical and laboratory subjects is also carried out. AFMC has the facility for animal house, hatcheries for disease producing insects, and a virology and bacteriology bank for these purposes. AFMC is a research and referral centre for confirmation of disease, identification of pathogens (viral and bacterial) and  classification of  blood disorders. AFMC acts as a referral centre, designated by WHO for certain diseases i.e. HIV-regional laboratory and centre for rickettsial diseases.

The college gives its undergraduates early exposure to research by encouraging them to take up various departmental projects. Every year the UGs bag many ICMR scholarships under the Short Term Studentship Programme and MUHS scholarships under Short Term Research Grant Programme. The UGs have been presenting their research work and winning at various conferences. Apart from this, the Students' Scientific Society of AFMC has been organizing Illuminati, one of the biggest undergraduate research conferences in India.



Affiliations
Affiliated hospitals include Command Hospital (Southern Command), Military Hospital (Cardio Thoracic Centre), Artificial Limb Centre and Military Hospital (Khadki). Medical Journal Armed Forces of India (MJAFI) is a professional journal sponsored by the Armed Forces Medical Services and published by the AFMC.



This college presently affiliated to Maharashtra University of Health Sciences.

Notable Alumni
The institution has produced a number of notable alumni, which include:
 * Dr Akhilesh Pandey, noted molecular biologist and researcher in the field of proteomics, currently has a lab named after him at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA.
 * (Hony) Brig Dr Arvind Lal, pathologist and present chief managing director at Dr Lal Path Labs, India's largest chain of pathology labs.
 * Dr Pervez Ahmed, former CEO of Max Healthcare.
 * Lt Gen Punita Arora (Retd) PVSM, VSM, SM, former director general of the Armed Forces Medical Services, and also the first lady army officer to reach the rank of lieutenant general, the second highest rank in the Indian Army, and was also the first woman Vice Admiral of the Indian Navy.
 * Maj Gen Velu Nair AVSM, VSM**, hematologist of international repute and visiting professor at Stanford University, USA.
 * Maj Gen Manoj Luthra VSM, paediatric cardiothoracic surgeon, credited with having performed the first heart transplant in the Indian Armed Forces.
 * Dr Otilia Mascarenhas, Arjuna Awardee and former captain of the India women's national field hockey team and a successful orthopedic surgeon.
 * Maj Surendra Poonia (Retd), international award-winning sportsman, record holder in the Limca Book of Records, physician and former Special Forces officer of the Indian Army. He is the first Indian athlete with the rare distinction of having won medals in power-lifting and athletic events in four consecutive world championships. He also contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Sikar, Rajasthan for the Aam Aadmi Party.
 * Capt Debashish Sharma KC, first medical officer to be awarded the Kirti Chakra, posthumously, for his efforts in the cordon-and-search operations in Dungarpur, Jammu and Kashmir.