In a boost to women empowerment in the Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Sadhna Saxena Nair assumed the office of the Director General of Medical Services (Army) on 1 August 2024. She is the first woman to hold this prestigious post in the Indian Army’s Medical Services. Lt General Sadhna Saxena Nair is a third-generation member of a family which has served in the Indian Armed Forces in various capacities for the last seventy years.
Lieutenant General Sadhna Saxena Nair graduated from the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune and was commissioned into the Indian Army Medical Corps in December 1985.
Every wing of the Indian Armed Forces -Army, Navy, and Air Force—has a medical wing that caters to the needs of the personnel employed in the respective forces.
All three Medical services were integrated, and the government of India set up an Armed Forces Medical Service in 1948.
The Armed Forces Medical Service was set up by the government of India under the Ministry of Defence on the recommendation of the Dr B C Roy Committee on ‘Armed Forces Medical Services and Research Integration.’
The head of the Armed Forces Medical Services is called the Director-General. It can be an officer of the Indian Army ( rank of Lt General), Indian Navy (rank of Vice Admiral), or Indian Air Force ( rank of Air Marshal).
Current Director General Armed Forces Medical Services: Lt Gen Daljit Singh