Lt. Gen. Nair, who was commissioned into the Army Medical Corps in December 1985, is the first woman to be appointed to this position.
Lieutenant General Sadhna Saxena Nair assumed the office of Director General Medical Services (Army) on Thursday, becoming the first woman to be appointed to this position. Prior to this, she was the first female Air Marshal to hold the position of DG Hospital Services (Armed Forces).
After completing his studies at the Armed Forces Medical College in Pune, Lieutenant General Nair received his commission in the Army Medical Corps in December 1985. She completed a two-year medical informatics training program at AIIMS, New Delhi, and holds postgraduate degrees in family medicine, maternal and child health, and health care management. She received training in military medical ethics with the Swiss Armed Forces in Spiez and in chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear warfare with the Israeli Defense Forces. Additionally, she is the first female Principal Medical Officer of the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) Training Command and Western Air Command.
Lt. Gen. Nair was proposed as an expert member of the Dr. Kasturirangan Committee, which was tasked with composing a portion of the National Education Policy’s medical education section.