AFIH doctors · Factory medical officers
AFIH Doctor and Factory Medical Officer for Your Plant
An AFIH doctor is an MBBS doctor who holds the Associate Fellow of Industrial Health qualification — the occupational health training that many state factory rules expect for the medical officer of a factory carrying out hazardous processes. Plan My Health places AFIH-qualified doctors full-time, part-time or on visiting schedules at your occupational health centre.
The factory medical officer runs pre-employment and periodic medical examinations, keeps the health registers, treats injuries and illness on site and advises management on fitness for specific jobs. Getting the right person — and covering leave — is the hard part we take off your hands.
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What is AFIH and why factories ask for it
AFIH (Associate Fellow of Industrial Health) is a post-MBBS course in occupational health offered through the Directorate General Factory Advice Service & Labour Institutes (DGFASLI) and institutes it recognises. It covers industrial toxicology, occupational diseases, ergonomics, statutory medical examinations and factory law.
Under the Factories Act, 1948 and state factory rules, factories with hazardous processes or above certain headcounts must arrange medical examinations and, in many cases, an occupational health centre with a qualified medical officer. Several states specify AFIH or an equivalent occupational health qualification for that role.
Legal references on this page are general guidance. Exact requirements depend on your state factory rules, the processes you run and your headcount, so we confirm the applicable rules for each site before we propose a scope.
What our factory medical officer does
- Pre-employment and periodic medical examinations for workers in notified hazardous processes
- Fitness opinions for work at height, confined spaces, driving, food handling and other specific roles
- First-line treatment of injuries and illness during the shift, with referral when needed
- Health registers and certificates in the format your state requires, ready for inspection
- Advice to EHS on exposure monitoring results, PPE and job rotation
- Health awareness talks for workers and training for first aiders
Full-time, part-time or visiting
The schedule depends on headcount, shifts and process hazards. Large continuous-process plants usually need a doctor every day with a nurse on every shift; smaller units often need a visiting AFIH doctor on fixed days plus a nurse or trained first aider. We recommend the schedule after the site walk-through and confirm it against your state rules.
Leave cover and continuity
When your doctor is on leave, we provide a replacement so examinations and injury care continue. Records stay in one digital system, so a relief doctor sees each worker's history on day one.
How we scope a factory medical officer placement
- Short call with HR or EHS to understand headcount, shifts, processes and existing arrangements
- Site walk-through (in person or on video) to see hazards, space and access
- Written proposal with scope, staffing, schedule and price — nothing bundled you did not ask for
- Mobilisation with a named coordinator for your account
- Digital records and due-date tracking in the Plan My Health platform
Medical governance
- Qualified MBBS doctors lead every clinical service; AFIH-qualified doctors are deployed where a process requires one.
- Trained nurses (GNM, BSc or ANM) and paramedics work under doctor oversight and written protocols.
- Clinical oversight: reports and fitness opinions are reviewed by a doctor, with escalation for abnormal results.
- Confidentiality: individual health records are shared only with the employee; HR receives aggregate data and the fitness opinions a role legally needs.
- Data privacy: records are stored digitally with access limited by role.
Frequently asked questions
Is an AFIH doctor the same as a certifying surgeon?
No. A certifying surgeon is appointed by the state under the Factories Act to certify fitness in specified cases. An AFIH doctor is a qualified occupational health doctor employed or engaged by the factory. Your state rules decide which examinations each can carry out.
Can a regular MBBS doctor run our OHC?
For many offices and non-hazardous units, yes. For factories with hazardous processes, many state rules expect an occupational health qualification such as AFIH. We check what applies to your site before proposing a doctor.
Do you also provide nurses and an ambulance?
Yes. The doctor can be part of a full OHC team with nurses, first aiders, medicines, equipment and stationed ambulance cover.
Can you help our own doctor with the AFIH course?
We do not run the AFIH course. We can share general information on recognised institutes; enrolment is directly with them.
Who sees the individual medical results?
Employees see their own results. Management receives anonymised summaries and the fitness opinions the law requires for specific roles. Anything more is shared only with the employee's consent, in line with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.
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