New Delhi, September 1: Air Marshal Sandeep Thareja has assumed the position of the 47th Director General of the Armed Forces Medical Services (DGAFMS), commencing his tenure on September 01, 2026. In this capacity, Air Marshal Thareja will be responsible for overseeing the provision of comprehensive medical support to all branches of the Defence Forces.
Information was available with The Chenab Times that his appointment occurs during a period of significant transformation within the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS). Key areas of focus include enhancing operational medical preparedness, fostering jointness among services, modernizing military healthcare infrastructure, advancing digital health initiatives, promoting medical research and innovation, strengthening human-resource development, and ensuring the delivery of high-quality healthcare services to serving personnel, veterans, and their dependents.
Air Marshal Thareja, an alumnus of the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) in Pune, was commissioned into the Army Medical Corps in December 1986. He is a distinguished physician and gastroenterologist, having completed his MD in Medicine from Delhi and a DM in Gastroenterology from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. His academic and clinical background positions him to lead the AFMS through evolving healthcare challenges.
Throughout his nearly four-decade-long career, the Air Marshal has accumulated extensive experience across a wide array of clinical, academic, operational, and administrative roles. His significant command and administrative appointments include serving as Commandant of the 167 Military Hospital, Brigadier In-Charge Administration, and Commander Troops at Base Hospital Delhi Cantt. He also served as Commandant of Command Hospital (Central Command).
During his tenure at Base Hospital Delhi Cantt, he navigated the complexities of the COVID-19 pandemic, managing rapidly evolving healthcare and administrative demands. As Commandant of Command Hospital, Lucknow, his leadership was instrumental in the timely preparation of the Detailed Project Report for a new Command Hospital. Furthermore, as Director and Commandant at AFMC Pune, he initiated and championed several key projects aimed at bolstering medical education and research capabilities.
In his previous role as DGMS (Air), Air Marshal Thareja provided critical impetus to the Gaganyaan Mission, playing a leading role in analog experiments related to astronaut selection and training. Under his stewardship, the BHISHM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita & Maitri) cubes, a significant humanitarian aid initiative, were gifted to the Maldives by the Prime Minister. Additionally, these cubes were dispatched as part of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) efforts to Jamaica, Cuba, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar, underscoring the AFMS’s commitment to international medical aid.
Prior to assuming his current role as DG AFMS, Air Marshal Sandeep Thareja paid his respects to fallen heroes by laying a wreath at the National War Memorial in New Delhi, a solemn gesture acknowledging the sacrifices of the armed forces.
The Chenab Times News Desk