Lt Gen Sadhna Saxena Nair appointed as India’s first female Director General Medical Services (Army). She took over her office on August 1, 2024.
Previously, she made history as the first woman to serve as the Director General Hospital Services (Armed Forces) upon her promotion to the rank of Air Marshal.
Who is Lt Gen Sadhna Saxena Nair?
Lt General Sadhna Saxena Nair began her education at St Mary's Convent in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, and finished at Loreto Convent in Lucknow. Along the way, she attended schools in Tezpur (Assam), Gorakhpur, Kanpur (both in Uttar Pradesh), and Chandigarh.
She graduated with honors from the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, and joined the Army Medical Corps in December 1985.
Lt Gen Nair has a postgraduate degree in Family Medicine and diplomas in Maternal and Child Health and Health Care Management. She also finished a two-year Medical Informatics training program at AIIMS Delhi.
She is also trained in chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) warfare by the Israeli Defense Forces and in military medical ethics by the Swiss Armed Forces in Spiez, Switzerland.
Lt General Nair's Past Achievements:
Before this role, she was the first woman to hold the position of Director General Hospital Services (Armed Forces) upon being promoted to Air Marshal.
- First woman principal medical officer of Western Air Command, Indian Air Force (IAF).
- First woman principal medical officer of Training Command, IAF.
- Nominated as an expert member on the Dr. K. Kasturirangan Committee for the National Education Policy (NEP) 2019's medical education section.
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Notable Women In the Indian Army
Indian Armed Forces has undergone some major changes in recent years. The incorporation of women in some notable positions in the armed forces is proof of these changes.
| Name | Achievement |
| Lt. Mehak Saini Lt. Sakshi Dubey Lt. Aditi Yadav Lt. Pious Mudgil Lt. Akanksha | First 5 females to join the Army's elite artillery units after completing training at OTA, Chennai |
| Commander Prerna Deosthalee | The Indian Navy's first female officer to take command of a warship |
| Squadron Leader Avani Chaturvedi | The first Indian Air Force (IAF) female fighter pilot to take part in an aerial wargame abroad |
| Group Captain Shaliza Dhami | The first female Air Force officer to take over as a front-line combat unit commander |
| Wing Commander Deepika Misra | First woman officer in the Indian Air Force to receive a gallantry award for her bravery |
| Captain Shiva Chauhan | First woman officer to be deployed for operations at Kumar Post on the Siachen Glacier. |
| Col Sunita | First woman to lead the Armed Forces Transfusion Centre in Delhi Cantt. |
| Captain Surbhi Jakhmola | The Border Roads Organization's (BRO) first female officer posted on a foreign assignment |
| Squadron Leader Manisha Padhi | The first female officer in the Indian Armed Forces to be appointed as the Governor's Aide-De-Camp (ADC) |
| Colonel Shuchita Shekhar | The first female Army Service Corps officer to take over as commander of a Communication Zone Mechanical Transport Battalion |
| Colonel Geeta Rana | The first female officer to assume command of an Independent Field Workshop in a remote and forward area of Eastern Ladakh |
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