From AFMC Student to Commandant: Surgeon Vice Admiral Manish Honwad Takes Charge in Pune
Pune, 1st September 2026: Surgeon Vice Admiral Manish Honwad, VSM, on Tuesday assumed charge as the Director and Commandant of the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune.
An alumnus of AFMC, Honwad completed his MBBS from the institution in 1989 and later pursued an MD in Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine from AFMC in 1998. He is also a WHO Fellow in Neuro-Anesthesiology from the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru.
Honwad is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi, where he was awarded an M.Phil in Public Administration.
With a career spanning more than 37 years, Honwad has held several academic, clinical and administrative positions. His previous appointments include Additional Director General Medical Services (Navy) at Naval Headquarters, and Commanding Officer of INHS Sanjivani and INHS Asvini.
He is a Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator from the Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSIH), USA, and has participated as an international speaker on healthcare simulation at various national and international conferences.
In recognition of his service and contribution to patient care, Honwad was awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) in 2025. He has also received Chief of Naval Staff Commendations in 2006 and 2013, besides commendations from the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (South) in 2007 and the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (West) in 2011.
The Directorate General Armed Forces Medical Services (DGAFMS), on behalf of all ranks of the Armed Forces Medical Services, conveyed its best wishes to Surgeon Vice Admiral Honwad for a successful tenure as Director and Commandant of AFMC Pune.
