Armed Forces Medical College, Dhaka, Bangladesh

The Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) is a military medical college in Dhaka Cantonment, Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is run by the Military of Bangladesh and is under the Ministry of Defense of Bangladesh. A Major General of Bangladesh Army's Medical Corps is the Commandant of the College. It has two types of students. Medical Cadets (AFMC cadets) and Army Medical Corps Cadets (AMC cadets). AFMC cadets can become civilian doctors after completing the MBBS course but AMC cadets should join the Army Medical Corps (AMC) of Bangladesh Army.

The college is listed in the AVICENNA Directory for Medicine (previously known as the WHO World Directory of Medical Schools)

History
The academic activities of Armed Forces Medical College commenced through induction of 56 medical cadets on 20 June 1999. The college is affiliated to Bangladesh University of Professionals and recognized by Bangladesh Medical & Dental Council (BMDC). So far 15 batches of total 1097 students have been inducted. The students of the first 10 batches are now doctors and the 9th batch has completed their internship training in the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Dhaka. Remaining batches are progressing as per the academic schedule. The admission is based on merit keeping in conformity with Government order published vide AFMC instruction -1/2003

Aims and objectives
AFMC aims to train its students for five academic years in accordance with the syllabus laid down by the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council (BMDC) for the MBBS degree, so as to train a group of quality doctors for the Armed Forces and the nation.

The objectives of Armed Forces Medical College (according to the official website) are:


 * To teach biomedical sciences traditionally required for medical graduates to meet the responsibilities of providing preventive as well as curative health care to the people of Bangladesh.


 * To produce well disciplined, self-motivated and dedicated doctors imbued with the spirit of devotion of duty, kindness, tolerance, patience and compassion.


 * To impart those aspects of basic military training as are required to turn each cadets into a highly disciplined, physically and mentally fit, morally and ethically upright and professionally dedicated medical graduates capable of providing health care services in adverse physical and psychosocial environment both in and outside the country and during war and peace.


 * To instill a wide knowledge of the social and economic condition of Bangladesh with a view to imbuing them the beliefs, values and ideals of the nation.


 * To inspire development of essential character qualities, strong sense of righteousness and a basic desire to serve the suffering humanity.

Dormitories
AFMC is a residential institution, with the students viewed as 'medical cadets'. It is compulsory for cadets to stay in the dormitories as provided by the college authority. The cadets must follow all rules and regulations regarding customs and etiquette, decorum and decency of the dormitory living as framed (or will be framed from time to time) by the college authority. There are separate dormitories for male and female medical cadets near the college campus.

The cadets are provided with messing and allied services including laundry facilities. The messing, laundry and allied charges are paid by the cadets. On arrival to the college, the medical cadets are issued with the necessary uniforms and other supporting items, the costs of which are included in the fees.

The boys dorm and the girls dorm are identical in structure. Each dormitory is composed of two blocks and eight floors with a total of 160 rooms (80 rooms in each block) that hold two cadets each, so a potential total of 320 students can stay in each dormitory. The bathrooms are shared between two rooms and consist of two toilet-and-shower rooms and two sinks. There is also a TV room, a prayer room and a waiting room (for parents and guardians) on the first (ground) floor as well as a dining room on the second floor.

After passing the final exam, interns must move out of the student dorms and thereafter they may choose whether to go to work from home or from the internee dormitory; it's not compulsory for interns to stay in the internee dormitory as it is for cadets. The internee dormitory itself is different in structure - there are no separate buildings for the boys and girls but rather a single building with a demarcation in between i.e. no connection between either sides of the dorm. The boys side and the girls side of the dorm are mirror images of each other: each side has six floors, the top five floors having six rooms on each floor, so a total of 30 rooms for each side and a potential total of 60 boys or girls can be housed (120 interns in total). The internee dorm rooms are larger than their student counterparts and also contain a separate bathroom in each room. There is also technically a dining room, living room and kitchen on the ground floor.

Subjects and examinations
Like any other medical college in Bangladesh, the five year course is divided into three parts (the first part being preclinical), with each part leading up to a professional examination (or 'prof') and consisting of subjects specific to that prof.

The First Professional Examination (done in second year) consists of:
 * Anatomy
 * Biochemistry
 * Physiology

The Second Professional Examination (done in fourth year) consists of:
 * Community Medicine
 * Forensic Medicine
 * Microbiology
 * Pathology
 * Pharmacology

The Final Professional Examination (done in fifth year) consists of:
 * Gynecology
 * Medicine
 * Surgery

AFMC is the only medical college in Bangladesh affiliated with Bangladesh University of Professionals (until recent years it was affiliated with University of Dhaka)

The internship that follows completion of the course is carried out for a year at the nearby Combined Military Hospital (CMH). Internship there is compulsory, though foreign students are not paid.

Extracurricular activities
Only during certain times of the year (like Culture Week) do a range of extracurricular activities become available to the cadets, such as competitions of extempore speech, poem recitation, singing, dancing and a selection of sports.

Otherwise there are some facilities provided inside or within the vicinity of both dormitories for cadets to play within their free time - arrangements for chess, carrom, table tennis, badminton, volleyball, basketball, football and cricket.