Indian Armed Forces gets the first Woman Director General of Medical Service (ARMY)
Lt Gen Sadhna Saxena Nair, VSM, will assume the appointment of Director General Medical Services (Army), on 01 Aug 24, becoming the first woman to be appointed to this prestigious position. Prior to this, she was also the first woman to hold the post of Director General Hospital Services (Armed Forces), on promotion to the rank of Air Marshal.
Lt General Sadhna Nair, started her schooling at St Maryโs Convent, Prayagraj and completed it from Loreto Convent, Lucknow. In between, she went to schools at Tezpur, Gorakhpur, Kanpur and Chandigarh.
She graduated from the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune with a distinguished academic record and was commissioned into the Army Medical Corps in Dec 1985.
She holds a Post Graduate degree in Family Medicine, Diplomas in Maternal & Child Health and Health Care Management and has also undergone a two year training Programe in Medical Informatics at AIIMS, New Delhi.
She trained in CBRN Warfare with the Israeli Defence Forces and in Military Medical Ethics with the Swiss Armed Forces in Spiez, Switzerland. She is also the first woman Principal Medical Officer of Western Air Command, IAF, and Training Command, IAF.
She was nominated as an expert member of the prestigious Dr Kasturirangan Committee for drafting part of the medical education component of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2019.
For her meritorious service she has been awarded the AOC-in-C (WAC) and CAS Commendations as well as the Vishisht Seva Medal by the Honโble President of India.
Three generations of her family have served in the Armed Forces over the last seven decades.
The General offr is married to Air Mshl KP Nair (Retd), has the unique distinction of being a daughter and sister of military doctors and wife and mother of IAF Fighter Pilots.
