The Government of India has appointed Air Marshal Sandeep Thareja, SM, VSM & Bar, as the new Director General of Armed Forces Medical Services (DGAFMS). This appointment culminates a remarkable nearly four-decade career in military medicine, healthcare leadership, and defense administration. Air Marshal Thareja, currently serving as the Director General Medical Services (Air), will step into the country’s highest military medical position, bringing a wealth of experience gained from leading premier Armed Forces medical institutions and commanding key military hospitals across the nation.
Air Marshal Thareja assumed his current role on February 10, 2025, equipped with extensive expertise in clinical medicine, hospital administration, and strategic healthcare management. He is an alumnus of the esteemed Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) in Pune and was commissioned into the Army Medical Corps on December 30, 1986.
As a highly accomplished physician and super-specialist, Air Marshal Thareja earned his post-graduate degree in Internal Medicine from the University of Delhi in 1997. His pursuit of excellence continued with a Doctorate of Medicine (DM) in Gastroenterology from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, in 2005. Further honing his strategic perspective, he completed an M.Phil. in Defence Strategic Studies from the National Defence College (NDC) in 2018, which has broadened his understanding of military leadership and national security.
In the nascent stages of his career, Air Marshal Thareja served as a Regimental Medical Officer (RMO) with the 9 Rajput for four years, where he gained critical operational experience supporting troops in high-altitude areas and counter-insurgency operations across three operational commands. This foundational experience set the stage for a career characterized by a blend of frontline medical support and clinical excellence.
His career trajectory includes serving as a medical specialist at Military Hospital Jodhpur, participating in the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone, and his tenure at Military Hospital Ranikhet, where he specialized in gastroenterology. Over the years, he has gained recognition as one of the Armed Forces’ leading gastroenterologists, contributing significantly to super-specialty military healthcare.
Air Marshal Thareja has held several key positions, including Head of the Department of Gastroenterology at both Base Hospital Delhi Cantonment and Command Hospital (Western Command), as well as the Army Hospital (Research and Referral) in New Delhi, the premier tertiary care medical institution of the Armed Forces. In these roles, he significantly enhanced specialized healthcare services for serving personnel, veterans, and their families.
His administrative acumen is evident from his leadership as the commander of Military Hospital Pathankot, Commandant of Command Hospital Lucknow, and Director and Commandant of the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune. Under his stewardship, AFMC solidified its status as one of India’s leading institutions for military medical education, research, and training.
Air Marshal Thareja has also held critical staff roles, including Senior Consultant (Medicine) at the DGAFMS and Brigadier In-Charge Administration at Base Hospital Delhi Cantonment. Additionally, he serves as the Commodore Commandant of the Institute of Aerospace Medicine (IAM), which is crucial to aerospace medicine, aviation physiology, and providing medical support to the Indian Armed Forces’ aviation sector.
His dedication and exceptional professional competence have garnered multiple accolades, including the Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) in 2011, the Sena Medal (SM) in 2022, and a Bar to the Vishisht Seva Medal in 2024, highlighting his sustained excellence in military healthcare and leadership.
As the incoming DGAFMS, Air Marshal Thareja will oversee the integrated medical services of the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force, managing one of the nation’s most sophisticated military healthcare networks. His responsibilities will encompass medical policy, operational healthcare support, hospital administration, medical education, research, and preventive healthcare, ensuring the health and welfare of serving personnel, veterans, and their dependents.
This appointment takes place as the Armed Forces Medical Services continue to modernize healthcare infrastructure, advance digital health initiatives, enhance battlefield medical capabilities, and incorporate advanced medical technologies for future military operations.
With a unique combination of operational experience, clinical expertise, academic excellence, and institutional leadership, Air Marshal Sandeep Thareja is poised to advance the Armed Forces Medical Services into a new phase of transformation, reinforcing military healthcare and providing world-class medical support to India’s defense forces.
