Armed Forces Medical College

The Department of Internal Medicine came into being with the inception of the Armed Forces Medical College on 01 May 1948. The first Professor and Head of the Department was Lt Col S Medhi Basu. The initial mandate was to impart postgraduate training in Internal Medicine. With the establishment of the Graduate Wing of AFMC in 1962 the Department had the added responsibility of training budding doctors in Internal Medicine. The Department moved to its present location in 1967 under the leadership of Brig R S Hoon. The corridors with historical paintings still evoke nostalgia in all those who have been closely associated with the Department.

The faculty of the department have strived hard over decades to make it one of the best departments imparting both undergraduate and postgraduate training at AFMC. The department has been headed by eminent physicians of the Armed Forces who have risen to the highest positions in Armed Forces Medical Services and received numerous accolades at the national and international levels.

The department runs the ART centre established under the National AIDS Control Organisation, which is amongst those with the largest number of registered patients in the Pune district. It has also been upgraded as a referral centre for Drug-Resistant HIV cases. The department also runs the DOTS clinic catering exclusively to the civilian population in Pune.

The Department has been active in carrying out research and the faculty have to their credit publications in reputed National and International Journals. The Saturday Clinics held for the postgraduates are compiled and published as Saturday Clinics of AFMC, a much-in-demand book amongst residents and physicians alike. National Medicine Update (NMUD) conducted by the Department as a biennial event, attracts the best of faculty, to discuss contemporary issues and futuristic ideas.

The Department has under its aegis the Student Scientific Society which nurtures undergraduates in exploring the various advances in Medicine. The members of the Society were selected to represent India for the HULT prize in 2019. The department also encourages undergraduates to undertake research in various fields of medicine. Illuminati an annual undergraduate research conference started by the Department has grown over the years as one of the most popular forums for undergraduate medical students across India to present their research and innovative ideas in the field of Medicine.

The faculty and residents of the Department were actively involved in patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic in Pune, New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Patna and Muzaffarpur. The COVID-19 handbook published by the Department was well appreciated and a revised edition has been published in 2022. The Department adapted to the need for online teaching during the pandemic with clinics, tutorials, seminars, and lectures by eminent physicians on a virtual platform.

The Vision of the Department of Internal Medicine is “to emerge as a Centre of Excellence in imparting Training, Patient Care and Research in General Medicine”.