Surgeon Vice Admiral Kavita Sahai Assumes Charge as Director General Medical Services (Navy)

New Delhi: Surgeon Vice Admiral Kavita Sahai, SM, VSM, has made history by assuming charge as the Director General Medical Services (Navy), becoming the first woman to hold the prestigious position. Commissioned into the Army Medical Corps on December 30, 1986, the Flag Officer brings with her a distinguished career spanning nearly four decades in military medicine.

An alumnus of the esteemed Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune, Surgeon Vice Admiral Sahai has specialized in Pathology and further super-specialized in Oncopathology from the prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. Throughout her career, she has held prominent academic and leadership positions, including Professor and Head of the Department of Lab Sciences at the Army Hospital (Research & Referral) and the Base Hospital, Delhi Cantt. She has also served as Professor in the Department of Pathology at AFMC, Pune.

Prior to assuming her current role, Vice Admiral Sahai was the first woman to command the Army Medical Corps Centre & College and was Officer-in-Charge of Records. Notably, she also became the first woman officer to be elected as Colonel Commandant of the Army Medical Corps, marking a significant milestone in her career and for women in the Armed Forces.

Her commitment to medical education has been evident throughout her career, earning her the prestigious Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER) Fellowship in 2013-14 from Philadelphia, USA.

In recognition of her exceptional service to the nation, Vice Admiral Sahai was awarded the Sena Medal in 2024 and the Vishisht Seva Medal in 2018. She has also been commended multiple times, receiving accolades from the Chief of the Army Staff in 2008 and 2012 and the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (Western Command) in 2010.