The Department of General Medicine, headed by Dr. K. J. Upadhyay, has been an academic and clinical pillar of B. J. Medical College and Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad — one of Asia’s largest hospitals with a heritage dating to 1841 — since postgraduate teaching in medicine was affiliated to Gujarat University in 1956. The department currently has 28 NMC-recognised MD seats per year, supported by 3 Professors, 7 Associate Professors and 17 Assistant Professors, all engaged in continuous training and teaching-skills development.

The department serves the largest volume of OPD and inpatient cases in the hospital, with expanded subspecialty services in Cardiology, Nephrology, Neurology, Gastroenterology, Endocrinology, Rheumatology and Oncology. It functions as a Centre of Excellence for HIV Care, operating ART Centres 1 and 2 to provide comprehensive treatment and support services for people living with HIV. It also contributes to multiple national health programmes including NACP, NVHCP, NPHCE, IDSP, NTEP and CBRN preparedness.

Guided by a One Health approach, the department has been a key stakeholder in mentoring, training, research and containment efforts for Malaria, Leptospirosis, Plague, Chikungunya, SARS, Avian Influenza, H1N1, Hepatitis B (Modasa), Methanol tragedies, CCHF, Zika, COVID-19 and Mucormycosis. Avian Influenza (2006), CCHF (2011) and Zika (2016) were detected in the country for the first time at this centre. Faculty have also served during major disasters — including the Kutch earthquake, the Surat and Odisha floods, the Kandla cyclone, and CCHF outbreaks in Rajasthan and Maharashtra.

Research contributions include the WHO Solidarity Trial, the WHO–ICMR PLACID trial, SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance, ICMR Malaria studies, and ongoing AMR Surveillance, Integrated Behavioural and Biological Surveillance in HIV, and AFI/AES surveillance projects in collaboration with NCDC, NIE, VCRC and NIVEDI.