Air Marshal Sandeep Thareja has been appointed as the Director General Armed Forces Medical Services of India with effect

Air Marshal Sandeep Thareja has been appointed as the Director General Armed Forces Medical Services of India with effect

¨     Air Marshal Sandeep Thareja has been appointed as the Director General Armed Forces Medical Services (DGAFMS) of India with effect from 31 August 2026.

¨     He will assume charge after the retirement of Surgeon Vice Admiral Arti Sarin on 31 August 2026.

¨     Before this appointment, Air Marshal Sandeep Thareja was serving as the Director General Medical Services (Air).

¨     The Director General Armed Forces Medical Services (DGAFMS) is the highest medical appointment in the medical system of the Indian Armed Forces.

¨     The DGAFMS coordinates medical services of the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force under the Ministry of Defence.

¨     The post is responsible for medical policy, administration, planning, and operational medical preparedness across all three services.

¨     Air Marshal Sandeep Thareja is an alumnus of the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune.

¨     He was commissioned into the Armed Forces Medical Services in December 1986.

¨     He obtained an MD in Medicine in 1997.

¨     He completed DM in Gastroenterology from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, in 2005.

¨     He was honoured with the Best DM Student Award at AIIMS, New Delhi.

¨     During his nearly four-decade-long medical career, he held several important positions in the Armed Forces Medical Services.

¨     He served as the Commandant of Military Hospital Pathankot, Commandant of Command Hospital Lucknow, and Director and Commandant of Armed Forces Medical College, Pune.

¨     As the Director General Medical Services (Air), he contributed to operational medical preparedness and medical support for the Gaganyaan Human Spaceflight Mission.

¨     He also supported the operationalisation of the BHISHM Cube, a rapid medical response system.

¨His appointment is expected to further strengthen medical preparedness, integrated healthcare services, and emergency response capabilities of the Indian Armed Forces.