Department of Forensic Medicine offers training to the medical cadets of 3rd year of MBBS course. The aim of the department is to increase the depth of knowledge of cadets on various sub-divisions of Forensic Science, Medical Jurisprudence and Toxicology. So that they become capable enough to discharge their professional duties with sincerity & effectiveness during medical practice in society and maintain the highest standard of medical ethics. Also, this subject prepares the students to become quite competent to help the administration of justice by giving medico-legal opinions regarding disputed cases of injury, sexual assault, identification of unknown persons, age determination, poisoning and most of all determination of the mode, manner and cause in complicated incidents like a sudden, suspicious, unnatural, unattended, medically unexplained, litigious death. Total allocation of teaching hours for the subject is 195 hours, out of which 80 hours are for theoretical lecturers, the rest 110 hours for tutorial & practical classes and 05 hours for ITP/ assignments.

Departmental Objectives:

At the end of the course in Forensic Medicine, the undergraduate student will be able to:

1. To produce competent, compassionate, reflective and dedicated healthcare professionals according to national goals. Practice medical and medico-legal works as per national goals and objectives.

2. Examine medico-legal cases and prepare reports or certificates in accordance with the law of the land.

3. Perform medico-legal postmortem examination and interpret autopsy findings and results of relevant investigations to logically conclude the cause, manner and time since death.

4. Practice medicine ethically with human etiquette, discharge duties promptly and execute the legal responsibilities of the physician toward his patient, profession, society, state and humanity at large.

5. Prevent and protect himself from medical and legal mishap.

6. Identify and apply relevant legal provisions applicable to the medico-legal and medical practice.

7. Collect, preserve and dispatch specimens in medico-legal cases and other concerned materials to the appropriate Government agencies for necessary examination.

8. Diagnose, apply principles of management and understand medico-legal implications of common poisons.

9. Apply general principles of analytical, environmental, occupational and preventive aspects of toxicology.

10. Explain legal provisions related to the medical and medico-legal practice

List of Competencies to acquire:

1. Perform ethical medical practice and maintain proper doctor-patient relationship.

2. Capable to give deposition in the court of law as a medical expert.

3. Collect, preserve and dispatch the medico-legally important specimen.

4. Prepare, dispatch and store the proper medical records.

5. Perform proper examination of victim/assailant of physical assault and sexual assault.

6. Perform medico-legal examination (impotency, age determination, sex determination, mental fitness, and mental state)

7. Perform medico-legal autopsy and interpret the findings.

8. Prepare certificates and medico-legal reports according to the law of the land.

9. Prepare referral or discharge certificate and death certificate properly and authentically as per ICD-10.

10. Supervise and guide the medical team/practitioner regarding the ethical and legal consequences related to medical issues.

11. Handling dead body ethically and morally.

12. Explain legal provision and guide members related to medical and medico-legal practice

13. Record the dying declaration.

14. Diagnose and declare the death of a person