Lt. General Sadhna Saxena Nair

Some Lesser Known Facts About Sadhna Saxena Nair

• Sadhna Saxena Nair grew up in a family with a military background. Since the 1950’s, three generations of her family have served in the Indian armed forces.

• Sadhna was commissioned into the Indian armed forces (Army Medical Corps) on 26 December 1985.

• A year later, she was transferred to the Indian Air Force.

  

• Meanwhile, she pursued her post-graduation.

• After completing her formal education, Sadhna took a two-year training in medical informatics at AIIMS, New Delhi.

• She also trained in CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear) warfare with the Israeli Defence Forces and in military medical ethics with the Swiss Armed Forces in Spiez, Switzerland.

• Sadhna has authored two studies- Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity in School Going Children in an Air Force Camp in New Delhi and Response of Patients and OPD Registration Staff of a Multispecialty Government Hospital to computerisation of OPD Registration.

• In 2019, Sadhna Saxenawas nominated as an expert member of Dr Kasturirangan Committee for drafting a part of the medical education component of the National Education Policy.

• In 2023, she became the second woman officer to become Air Marshal, after Air Marshal Padma Bandopadhyay. After Sadhna was promoted to the rank of Air Marshal, she was appointed as the DG Hospital Services (Armed Forces), becoming the first woman to hold the post.

  

• Lt General Sadhna Nair is the first woman principal medical officer of Western Air Command, Indian Air Force (IAF), and Training Command, Indian Air Force.

  

• In 2024, Saxena became the first woman to be appointed as the Director of General Medical Services (Army).

  

• Lt. General Sadhna has served as a Senior Medical Officer (SMO) of three different stations including Air Force Station, Pune. The SMCs that she headed have been declared ‘Best SMC’ of Command on several occasions.

• Sadhna Saxena’s husband, K. P. Nair, is a native of Ottapalam Vaniyamkulam, Palakkad, who retired in 2015 as the Director General of Inspection and Flight Safety of the Air Force.

• Sadhana Saxena and KP Nair are the first air marshal couple in the Air Force.