The Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC) is a government medical college in Delhi affiliated to University of Delhi. It is named after Indian freedom fighter and first education minister of independent India Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. It is located at Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi.[1] MAMC is one of India's premier medical colleges and consistently ranked amongst the top 5 medical colleges in the country.
The college has the following hospitals attached to it:[2]
The hospitals have a combined bed strength of more than 2400 beds (with further expansion underway) and cater to a population of more than 20 million people in Delhi alone and many more from the surrounding states in north India. The college is a tertiary care referral center and has teaching programs for graduation/medical school, post graduation/residency and subspecialities/fellowships (referred to as superspecialities in India).Synapse is the inter college literary, cultural and sports festival which is held every year under the aegis of AMA (Azad Medicos Association). Awaited by hundreds, it attracts Medical fraternity from all over India. Usually held in the latter half of the year, this week long festival is the epitome of camaraderie and bonhomie among medical students and provides them with the perfect platform to showcase their creative pursuits. On the final day, mesmerising performances by eminent musicians conclude the festival perfectly leaving a sense of euphoria which ultimately blends with the anticipation of next year’s Synapse.
History of the college
MAMC at Night.
The history of Maulana Azad Medical College, could be traced to 1936, when India was being ruled by the British. Indian Medical Service at that time was heavily manned by the British. In 1940, Col. Martin Melvin Curickshank of the Indian Medical Service (IMS) [a British national], was appointed Medical Superintendent Irwin Hospital and Chief Medical Officer of New Delhi. He was appointed specifically to establish a medical college complex near Ramlila Ground.[3]
But before his plans could come to fruition, the Second world war started in 1939, and the plan of a new medical college had to be dropped. During Second World War some barracks were rapidly constructed near Safdarjung's tomb to establish a medical center for American Troops fighting in this region. This hospital was well equipped with x-ray machine, laboratory and other facilities for various emergency procedures. After the Second World War was over America handed over this place to Government of India. This place, where the present Safdarjung Hospital exists was to be taken over as an extension of Irwin Hospital. Later CGHS took over this place directly to be run by Central Health Ministry.
Today the grave of Mughal era poet, Momin lies near the parking area near the college.[4]
Although many surveys have given it various ranks, the overall ranking of MAMC has always been in the top five. Its location in the capital city makes it a particularly attractive choice among students across Northern India. In 2013 India Today Rankings, it was ranked #5 among medical colleges in India[5]Outlook India also ranked Maulana Azad Medical College at #5 in 2012 [6] In terms of competitiveness for admission, it is certainly the second toughest medical institution in the country to gain admission to (only next to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences) [7]
Old Boy's Hostel.Night view taken from NBH.
Courses offered
The medical school offers the degrees of MBBS (medical school degree, equivalent to Doctor of Medicine or MD in some countries), post graduate/residency degrees of MS, MD and superspeciality/subspecialty fellowship degrees of MCh and DM. It has attached schools offering degrees in nursing and pharmacy. The attached hospitals are renowned for the training programs across specialties and subspecialties.
Admissions
Entry to this institute is highly competitive, with admission offered to less than the top 1% of applicants. The medical college entrance examination for MAMC was through a common pre-medical test (Delhi University Medical Entrance Test, DUMET)till 2012, conducted by the University of Delhi for all its affiliated medical schools.From 2013 onwards,admission will be through NEET-UG and 250 students will be admitted from 2013, as compared to 180 till 2010. Reservation for the backward and underprivileged class exist (to the extent of 33%). In-state residents have a preference towards almost 75% of the seats. Students who have graduated from high school can appear for the admission test.
Notable faculty and Alumni
A significant percentage of its alumni are currently working in the United States (more than 20% graduates), United Kingdom (almost 20% graduates) and other countries (Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Middle East etc.), and many others in India.
Dr. Pankaj Sadaphal, graduate (1989), Prevntive and Social Medicine post-graduate (1994). Received prestigious NIH-funded Fogarty AIDS International Training and Research Program fellowship grant to pursue Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) degree in Infectious Diseases Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA. He developed an innovative computational algorithm to recognize TB bacilli in Ziehl-Neelsen stained sputum smears to reduce lab-related delays in TB diagnosis.[8] He is an invited Member of the New Diagnostics Working Group for the Stop TB Partnership / World Health Organization (2009–present). He is a reviewer for WHO Bulletin, AJE, BMJ, and IJTLD.
Dr. Raj Goyal, Mallinckrodt Professor of Medicine,[9] Harvard Medical School, Founder President[10] of the American Motility Society, Former Chair[11] of the Division of Gastroenterology at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston. He joined Maulana Azad Medical College in 1964 as a post-graduate student in Internal Medicine after completing his undergraduate training in Punjab.[12]
Dr. Vandana Jain, noted ophthalmologist and cornea specialist; trained at MAMC and LV Prasad Eye Institute, she is currently the academic dean and head of cornea, cataract and refractive services at Aditya Jyot Eye Hospital Pvt. Ltd, one of India's leading eye hospitals. She is currently a reviewer of many ophthalmology journals like Ophthalmology, Indian Journal of Ophthalmology. She is also a visiting faculty member at the Jules Stein Eye Institute, CA, USA. She also holds MBA from Stanford University.
Dr. Himanshu Tyagi, Psychiatrist and noted Internet psychology researcher,[19] UK. He was attributed to as a leading psychiatrist[20] in UK by BBC in July 2008. He is also a co-founder of RxPG, a popular professional networking portal for medical students and doctors.[21] He graduated from Maulana Azad Medical College in 2000.[22]
Some of the notable members in India:
Dr. I. D. Bajaj. First reader of anatomy department. He later rose to the position of Director General of Health Services.
Dr. Narottam Puri. Primarily an otorhinolaryngologist, but also a musician, singer, encyclopaedist and a quiz master. His sports quiz on TV during 1970s and 1980s was a much watched show. He currently heads The National accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) [23]
