Air Marshal Sadhna Saxena Nair took over as the Director General Hospital Services (Armed Forces) on promotion to the rank of Air Marshal today.
She was previously the Principal Medical Officer at Training Command of the Indian Air Force (IAF) located at Bangalore. She is effectively only the second woman officer who has served throughout in the IAF to be promoted to the rank of Air Marshal; the first woman officer to achieve this was Air Marshal Padma Bandopadhyay (Retd).
Air Marshal Sadhana is the wife of Air Marshal KP Nair (Retd). The Nairs also happen to be the first and only Air Marshal couple in the IAF.
She also has the unique distinction of being a daughter and sister of IAF doctors and of being a wife and mother of IAF fighter pilots. Three generations of her family have served in the IAF over the last seven decades.
She graduated from the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, and was commissioned into the IAF in December 1985. She holds a postgraduate degree in Family Medicine and has undergone a two-year training programme in Medical Informatics at AIIMS, New Delhi.
Air Marshal Sadhana has trained abroad in CBRN Warfare and in Military Medical Ethics. She was the first and only woman Principal Medical Officer of Western Air Command and Training Command.
She is the recipient of the Vishisht Seva Medal by the President of India and has received CAS and AOC-in-C commendations as well.
