Lieutenant General Puneeta Arora, the first woman in the three services to reach the second highest rank in the armed forces echelon, on Wednesday took over as the new commandant of the Armed Forces Medical College in Pune.

"Improving the health of the jawans remains the first priority for me," Arora, an AFMC (Pune) graduate herself, who joined the Army Medical Corps in 1968, told reporters after taking over as the AFMC commandant.

The health problems of the jawans posted on high altitudes would be an area of research, she said.

Aurora, who has been awarded the Sena Medal for establishing the gynae-endoscopy and oncology facilities in military hospitals, credited her family members for her success in becoming the first woman Lt Gen of the Indian Army.

Asked about the prevalence of HIV among the army personnel, Arora said the number of the affected personnel is very negligible and the situation is not alarming yet.