A Doctor Who Looks After An Army

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: Television networks in US carried the news. That a lady had risen to the post of Lt. General in the Indian Armed Forces made news even in the UK. Not to mention the overwhelming response back home when Lt. General Punita Arora, SM, VSM, took over as Commandant of the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, on September 1, 2004, and was promoted to this rank.

Ten of her jubilant batch-mates who have become Major Generals called from all over the country to share this moment with her. Large congratulatory cards and flowers adorned her room at the AFMC Officers’ Mess—her home till luggage moves from Delhi to Pune.

Punita was commissioned in January 1968. She belongs to the second batch or the B Batch of AFMC, which had 20 girls from every nook and corner of the country and opened the eyes of a young Pakistan-born Saharanpur-bred girl to a brave new world called India. “AFMC doesn’t just make doctors out of you. It gives you overall grooming and makes you good human beings,” says Punita.

Before taking charge of AFMC, Punita was co-ordinating Medical Research of the armed forces at the Army headquarters as additional director-general of AFMS (Medical Research). But the unassuming, ever-smiling Punita is not basking in this hour of glory.

“I was lucky,” she says and chooses to overlook a brilliant career backed with great academic achievements and two Sena medals. “The credit goes to the armed forces and the Army Medical Corps that it has given equal opportunity to all. This is one organisation where there is no gender bias. Merit is what counts,” says Punita. “This kind of achievement would also not have been possible without the support of my parents, my husband and a lot of sacrifice by all the family members,” adds Punita as she remembers the time she left her nine-month baby with her husband in Srinagar and reported back to work in Pune.

“At no point in our life together did he ever complain about the odd working hours or the postings and he was ever supportive and contributed at every step. He was like a rock,” says Punita. Her husband, Brig. (Retd) P N Arora is a dermatologist and practices in Delhi.