103 AFMC graduates commissioned as doctors in service

Pune: March 21st stood out in a significant fashion in the history of the Armed Forces Medical College as it dawned to commission the 52nd batch of medical graduates into the Armed Forces Medical Services.

Lt Gen Bipin Puri, Director General, Armed Forces Medical Service presided over the commissioning ceremony as Chief Guest. The ceremony fills the nation with pride as it is the only one that simultaneously commissions officers into the Army, Navy and Air Force.

Air Marshal C K Ranjan, Director and Commandant, Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, accompanied the DGAFMS as he reviewed the parade and commissioning officers. The ceremony was witnessed by a galaxy of serving senior and retired officers of all three services and parents of the newly commissioned.

Air Marshal C K Ranjan, Director, and Commandant, AFMC in his address revealed that 103 medical graduates including 80 male officers and 23 women officers were being commissioned into AFMS. Of these Eighty-nine graduates are to join the Army, six- the Navy and eight -the Air Force. The solemn ceremony an extraordinary display of drill, marked the transition of young medical graduates into doctors who would in the future save precious soldier lives..

Since 2008, the commissioning ceremony parade has been led by a newly commissioned officer. This year the parade following the tradition of yesteryears had Medical Cadet (now surgeon sub lt) Abbas Ghazi Naqvi leads it .

6,531 medical graduates have since 1966 passed out of AFMC .This year making it the 52^nd in service for these soldier doctors. The breathtaking display of skydiving by the IAF’s ‘ Akashganga’, Madras Regimental Centre martial art ‘ Kalaripayatu’ representing the Indian army, and the performance by the Central Naval band became the avid display of the services rendered to the country by its three forces and the combined inputs of the AFMC’s contribution to the three together through its medical graduates reported the HT.

The commissioning was followed by medal presentations for outstanding academic performances of the medical graduates.This prestigious “President's gold medal” was awarded to flying officer Shailaza Tripathi and ‘Kalinga Trophy’ went to the flying officer, Harish Pant.

Many other trophies prizes and medals, for outstanding achievements in academics to undergraduates, were awarded by the DGAFMS.

A ‘hobbies exhibition’ also marked the event where the creative talent of medical cadets in fine arts was on display. This was followed by an entertainment program by the newly commissioned officers and a banquet.