The Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar presented the Raksha Mantri’s Trophy and Citation for the best Service Hospital in the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) for the year 2016 to INHS Asvini, Mumbai here today. Commandant of INHS Asvini Mumbai, Surgeon Rear Admiral Ravi Kalra received the awards from the Minister on behalf of the Hospital. The Command Hospital (Southern Command), Pune and Command Hospital (Northern Command) Udhampur were jointly adjudged the second best Service Hospitals. The Defence Minister gave away the trophies and citations to the Commandant, Command Hospital (Southern Command) Pune, Maj General R Grewal and Commandant, Command Hospital (Northern Command) Udhampur, Maj General N Naithani. 

Congratulating the award winners the Defence Minister praised the yeoman service being rendered by the AFMS over the years both in war and peace. He stated that the Ministry is putting constant efforts to modernize the medical establishments of the Armed Forces. Shri Parrikar complimented the AFMS for the excellent work in provision of contemporary and comprehensive healthcare and expressed hope that it will continue to perform with the same zeal and energy to achieve the goals and objectives. 

The Raksha Mantri’s Trophy was instituted in 1989 to create a healthy competition among the Command Hospitals of the Army and its equivalent Hospitals in the Navy and Air Force. The Best and Second Best hospital are adjudged on the basis of a number of objective criteria by a committee headed by DCIDS (Med). 

The function was also attended by the Chief of the Army Staff General Bipin Rawat and several Senior Officers from the three Services and the Ministry of Defence. 

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NW/NAo/Nampi/Ranjan 

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