Doctor of Medicine (MD) Forensic Medicine: Admission, Fees, Medical Colleges, Eligibility Criteria details here

The course is a full-time course pursued at various recognized medical colleges across the country. Some of the top medical colleges offering this course include Kalpana Chawala Govt. Medical College (Karnal), Government Medical College (Kota), Government Allopathic Medical College (UP), and more.

Admission to this course is done through the NEET PG Entrance exam conducted by the National Board of Examinations, followed by counseling based on the scores of the exam that DGHS/MCC/State Authorities conduct.

The fee for pursuing an MD ( Forensic Medicine) varies from college to college and is about Rs. 45000 to Rs. 8.6 Lakh per year.

After completion of their respective course, doctors can either join the job market or pursue a super-specialization course where MD Forensic Medicine is a feeder qualification. Candidates can take reputed jobs in positions as Senior residents, Junior Consultants, Consultants, etc. with an approximate salary range of around Rs 8 Lakh to 10 Lakh per year.

What is MD in Forensic Medicine?

Doctor of Medicine in Forensic Medicine, also known as MD (Forensic Medicine) is a three-year postgraduate programme that candidates can pursue after completing MBBS.

Forensic Medicine is the branch of medical science dealing with the application of scientific principles for crime investigation.

National Medical Commission (NMC), the apex medical regulator, has released a Guidelines for Competency-Based Postgraduate Training Programme for MD in Forensic Medicine.

The Competency-Based Postgraduate Training Programme governs the education and training of MDs in Forensic Medicine.

The PG education intends to create specialists who can contribute to high-quality health care and advances in science through research and training.

The required training done by a postgraduate specialist in the field of Forensic Medicine would help the specialist to recognize the health needs of the community. The student should be competent to handle medical problems effectively and should be aware of the recent advances in their specialty.

The candidate should be a highly competent doctor possessing a broad range of skills that will enable her/him to practice Forensic Medicine independently. The PG candidate should also acquire the basic skills in teaching medical/para-medical students.

The candidate is also expected to know the principles of research methodology and modes of the consulting library. The candidate should regularly attend conferences, workshops, and CMEs to upgrade her/ his knowledge.

Course Highlights

Here are some of the course highlights of MD in Forensic Medicine:

Eligibility Criteria

The eligibility criteria for MD in Forensic Medicine are defined as the set of rules or minimum prerequisites that aspirants must meet in order to be eligible for admission, which includes:

• Candidates must be in possession of an undergraduate MBBS degree from any college/university recognized by the Medical Council of India (MCI).

• Candidates should have done a compulsory rotating internship of one year in a teaching institution or other institution which is recognized by the Medical Council of India (MCI).

• The candidate must have obtained permanent registration of any State Medical Council to be eligible for admission.

• The medical college's recognition cut-off dates for the MBBS Degree courses and compulsory rotatory Internship shall be as prescribed by the Medical Council of India (now NMC).

Admission Process

The admission process contains a few steps to be followed in order by the candidates for admission to MD in Forensic Medicine. Candidates can view the complete admission process for MD in Forensic Medicine mentioned below:

• The NEET PG or National Eligibility Entrance Test for Post Graduate is a national-level master's level examination conducted by the NBE for admission to MD/MS/PG Diploma Courses.

• The requirement of eligibility criteria for participation in counseling towards PG seat allotment conducted by the concerned counseling authority shall be in lieu of the Post Graduate Medical Education Regulations (as per the latest amendment) notified by the MCI (now NMC) with prior approval of MoHFW.

• The following Medical institutions are not covered under centralized admissions for MD/MS seats through NEET- PG:

1. AIIMS, New Delhi, and other AIIMS

2. PGIMER, Chandigarh

3. JIPMER, Puducherry

4. NIMHANS, Bengaluru

Fees Structure

The fee structure for MD in Forensic Medicine varies from college to college. The fee is generally less for Government Institutes and more for private institutes. The average fee structure for MD in Forensic Medicine is around Rs. 45000 to Rs. 8.6 Lakh per year.

Colleges offering MD in Forensic Medicine

There are various medical colleges across India that offer courses for pursuing an MD ( Forensic Medicine).

As per National Medical Commission (NMC) website, the following medical colleges are offering MD ( Forensic Medicine) courses for the academic year 2022-23. 

Stipend MD Forensic Medicine

The stipend offered by various medical colleges in India for MD Forensic Medicine for the year 2022 is as follows:

Syllabus

An MD in Forensic Medicine is a three years specialization course that provides training in the stream of Forensic Medicine.

The course content for MD in Forensic Medicine is given in the Competency-Based Postgraduate Training Programme released by National Medical Commission, which can be assessed on the link below:

NMC Guidelines For Competency-Based Training Programme For MD Forensic Medicine

I. General Principles of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology

i. Identify the role of anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, microbiology, pathology, blood bank, psychiatry, radiology, forensic science laboratory as well as other disciplines of medical science to logically arrive at a conclusion in medico-legal autopsies and examination of medico-legal cases.

ii. Describe the basic principles of techniques used in toxicological laboratory namely TLC, GLC, ASS, HPLC and Breath Alcohol Analyzer.

iii. Execute the skills and knowledge expected at undergraduate level.

II. Basic Sciences and allied Subjects

A. Anatomy: Anatomy of parts and organs of the body which are important from the medico-legal aspect.

i. Describe surface and regional anatomy of head, neck, chest and abdomen.

ii. Describe gross anatomy and blood supply of heart, brain, lungs, spleen, liver and kidneys.

iii. Describe gross anatomy of male and female genitalia.

iv. Describe the comparative anatomy of male and female skeleton.

v. Perform histological examination of various tissues.

vi. Describe the development of foetus.

B. Physiology and Biochemistry: Mechanism of phenomena that are important in the body from the medico-legal viewpoint.

i. Describe mechanism of fluid and electrolyte balance, thermoregulation in newborn and adults, endocrine functions.

ii. Describe physiology of sexual behavior.

iii. Describe physiological functioning of circulatory system, digestive system, respiratory system, haemopoietic system, central nervous system and reproductive system including pregnancy.

C. Pathology:

Pathophysiology of vital processes and response mechanisms that modulate tissue and organ reaction to all forms of injury and have a bearing on antemortem and postmortem appearance in medico-legal cases, assessment of the duration of injuries and correlate trauma and disease.

i. Describe pathology of inflammation and repair, immunity and hypersensitivity, Thrombosis and embolism, electric and ionizing radiation injuries, genetic factors in disease, deficiency disorders and malnutrition.

ii. Describe pathology of myocardial infarction, congenital heart diseases, tuberculosis of lungs, cirrhosis of liver, diseases of glomeruli and tubules and interstitial; tissues of Kidney, tumours, endocrine disorders, venereal diseases, spontaneous intracranial hemorrhages.

iii. Describe the pathology of sudden death.

iv. Describe local and systemic response to trauma and patho-physiology of shock.

v. Describe pathology of common infections and infestations of medico-legal significance.

D. Dentistry: Adequate knowledge of dentistry for solution of medico-legal problems like, injuries, age determination and identification

E. Radiology: Adequate knowledge of radiological procedures for solution of medico-legal problems.

F. Fundamentals of Forensic Medicine:

i. Describe the general forensic principle of ballistics, serology, analytical toxicology and photography.

ii. Interpret the scene of crime.

iii. Describe role of DNA profile and its application in medico-legal practice.

iv. Examine bloodstains for blood grouping, nuclear sexing, HLA typing, seminal stains and hair for medico-legal purpose.

v. Describe ethical aspects of Forensic Procedures including Narco-analysis, Brain mapping and Polygraph

III. Medical Ethics and Law (Medical Jurisprudence)

i. Describe the history of Forensic Medicine.

ii. Describe the legal and medico-legal system in India.

iii. Describe medical ethics and the law in relation to medical practice, declarations, oath, etiquette, Medical Council of India, disciplinary control, rights and duties of a registered medical practitioner's professional misconduct, consent, confidentiality, medical negligence (including all related issues) and Consumer Protection Act.

iv. Describe medical ethics and law in relation to organ transplantation, biomedical human research and experimentation, human rights, cloning, genetic engineering, human genome, citizen's charter and International codes of medical ethics.

v. Describe the ethics and law in relation to artificial insemination, abortion, antenatal sex, foetus, genetics and euthanasia.

vi. Interpret the ethics and law applicable to the human (clinical trials) and animal experimentation.

vii. Describe ethics in relation to elderly, women and children.

viii. Describe medical ethics and law in relation to nursing and other medical services/practices.

ix. Understanding about bio-ethics

IV. Clinical Forensic Medicine

i. Examine, assess legal implications and prepare report or certificate in cases of physical assault, suspected drunkenness, sexual offences, consummation of marriage and disputed paternity.

ii. Collect, preserve and dispatch the specimen/material to the concerned authority and interpret the clinical and laboratory findings which are reported.

iii. Examine injured person, prepare medico-legal report and initiate management.

iv. Determine the age and establish identity of an individual for medico-legal purpose.

v. Examine a person and assess disability in industrial accidents and diseases.

vi. Perform examination and interpret findings for medico-legal purposes in cases pertaining to pregnancy, delivery, artificial insemination, abortion, sterilization, Impotence, AIDS and infectious disease.

vii. Describe normal and abnormal sexual behavior and its medico-legal implications.

viii. Examine and assess the medical fitness of a person for insurance, government service, sickness and fitness on recovery from illness.

ix. Examine medico-legal problems related to clinical disciplines of medicine and allied subjects, Pediatrics, Surgery and allied subjects, ENT, Ophthalmology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dermatology and Anesthesiology.

x. Examine medico-legal problems related to children, women and elderly.

xi. Identify the cases of torture and violation of human rights and issues thereto

V. Forensic Pathology

i. Apply the principles involved in methods of identification of human remains by race, age, sex, religion, complexion, stature, hair, teeth, anthropometry, dactylography, foot prints, hairs, tattoos, poroscopy and superimposition techniques.

ii. Perform medico-legal postmortem and be able to exhume, collect, preserve and dispatch specimens or trace evidence to the appropriate authority.

iii. Diagnose and describe the pathology of wounds, mechanical and regional injuries, ballistics and wound ballistics, electrical injuries, lightening, neglect and starvation, thermal injuries, deaths associated with sexual offences, pregnancy, delivery, abortion, child abuse, dysbarism and barotraumas.

iv. Describe patho-physiology of shock and neurogenic shock.

v. Describe patho-physiology of asphyxia, classification, medico-legal aspects and postmortem findings of different types of asphyxial deaths.

vi. Diagnose and classify death, identify the signs of death, postmortem changes, interpret autopsy findings, artifacts and results of the other relevant investigations to logically conclude the cause, manner (suicidal, homicidal and accidental) and time of death.

vii. Manage medico-legal responsibilities in mass disasters involving multiple deaths like fire, traffic accident, aircraft accident, rail accident and natural calamities.

viii. Demonstrate postmortem findings in infant death and to differentiate amongst live birth, still birth and dead born.

ix. Perform postmortem examination in cases of death in custody, torture and violation of human rights.

x. Perform postmortem examination in cases of death due to alleged medical negligence as in operative and anesthetic deaths.

VI. Toxicology

i. Describe the law relating to poisons, drugs, cosmetics, narcotic drugs and

a. psychotropic substances.

ii. Examine and diagnose poisoning cases and apply principles of general management and organ system approach for the management of poisoning cases.

iii. Describe the basic principles of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of poisonous substances.

iv. Describe the toxic hazards of occupation, industry, environment and the principles of predictive toxicology.

v. Collect, preserve and dispatch material/s for analysis, interpret the laboratory findings and perform the Medico-legal formalities in a case of poisoning.

vi. Demonstrate the methods of identification and analysis of common poisons

vii. Describe the signs, symptoms, diagnosis and management of common acute and chronic poisoning due to:

a. Corrosives

b. Nonmetallic substances

c. Insecticides and weed killers

d. Metallic substances

e. Vegetable and organic irritants

f. Somniferous compounds

g. Inebriant substances

h. Deliriant substances

i. Food Contamination/adulteration.

j. Substances causing spinal and cardiac toxicity

k. Substances causing asphyxia (Asphyxiants)

l. Household toxins

m. Toxic envenomation

n. Biological and chemical warfare

o. Environmental intoxicants

p. Occupational intoxicants

VII. Forensic Psychiatry

i. Explain the common terminologies of forensic importance in Psychiatry.

ii. Describe the medico-legal aspects of Psychiatry and mental health.

iii. Describe medico-legal aspects of drug addiction.

iv. Describe role of Psychiatry in criminal investigation, punishment and trial.

v. Describe the civil and criminal responsibilities of a mentally ill person.

vi. Describe the role of Psychology in criminal investigation, punishment and trial

Career Options

After completing an MD in Forensic Medicine, candidates will get employment opportunities in Government as well as in the Private sector.

In the Government sector, candidates have various options to choose from which include Registrar, Senior Resident, Demonstrator, Tutor, forensic teacher, jail psychiatrist, etc.

While in the Private sector the options include Resident Doctor, Consultant, Visiting Consultant (Forensic Medicine), Junior Consultant, Senior Consultant (Forensic Medicine), Critical Care Specialist, Consultant Forensic Medicine Specialist, criminal investigator, counselor, Criminologist, etc.

Courses after MD in Forensic Medicine Course

MD in Forensic Medicine is a specialization course that can be pursued after finishing MBBS. After pursuing a specialization in MD (Forensic Medicine), a candidate could also pursue super specialization courses recognized by NMC, where MD (Forensic Medicine) is a feeder qualification. After MD in forensic medicine, you could probably do a diploma in psychiatry.

Frequently Asked Question (FAQs) – MD in Forensic Medicine Course

Question: What is an MD in Forensic Medicine?

Answer: MD Forensic Medicine or also known as MD in Forensic Medicine is a Postgraduate level course for doctors in India that is done by them after completion of their MBBS.

Question: What is the duration of an MD in Forensic Medicine?

Answer: MD in Forensic Medicine is a postgraduate programme of three years.

Question: What is the eligibility of an MD in Forensic Medicine?

Answer: Candidates must be in possession of an undergraduate MBBS degree from any college/university recognized by the Medical Council of India.

Question: What is the scope of an MD in Forensic Medicine?

Answer: MD in Forensic Medicine offers candidates various employment opportunities and career prospects.

Question: What is the average salary for an MD in Forensic Medicine postgraduate candidate?

Answer: The MD in Forensic Medicine candidate's average salary is around Rs Rs 8 lakh to 10 lakh per year.

Question: How do I become a CBI forensic doctor?

Answer: If you want to help CBI in their forensic work, you need to look for job openings in CENTRAL FORENSIC SCIENCE LAB, Delhi. They also require forensic scientists who have 10 years of working experience in any other govt forensic lab with an MSc degree.

Question: Is forensic medicine a good branch?

Answer: For Doctors who are looking for an adventurous medical career, the forensic medicine branch should be their first choice. Along with the adventurous career, forensic medicine has its own importance as one report can overturn a case decision.