New Delhi: Air Marshal Sandeep Thareja assumed the appointment of the 47th Director General Armed Forces Medical Services (DGAFMS) on September 1, 2026. As DGAFMS, Air Marshal Thareja will oversee the provision of comprehensive medical support to the Defence Forces. His appointment comes at a significant phase of transformation within the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS), with continued emphasis on operational medical preparedness, jointness, modernisation of military healthcare, digital health, medical research and innovation, human-resource development, and the delivery of high-quality healthcare to serving personnel, veterans and their dependents.
An alumnus of the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune, Air Marshal Thareja was commissioned into the Army Medical Corps in December 1986. A distinguished physician and gastroenterologist, he completed his MD in Medicine from Delhi and DM in Gastroenterology from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. During a distinguished career spanning nearly four decades, he has held a wide range of clinical, academic, operational and administrative appointments. His key command and administrative assignments include Commandant, 167 Military Hospital; Brigadier In-Charge Administration and Commander Troops, Base Hospital Delhi Cantt; and Commandant, Command Hospital (Central Command). During his tenure at Base Hospital Delhi Cantt amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he played a key role in managing complex and rapidly evolving healthcare and administrative challenges. As Commandant of Command Hospital, Lucknow, he oversaw the preparation of the Detailed Project Report for a new Command Hospital in record time.
As Director and Commandant of AFMC Pune, Air Marshal Thareja spearheaded several initiatives aimed at strengthening medical education and research. During his tenure as DGMS (Air), he provided significant impetus to the Gaganyaan Mission and played a leading role in Analog experiments related to astronaut selection and training. Under his stewardship, BHISHM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita & Maitri) cubes were gifted to the Maldives by the Prime Minister and were also deployed as part of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) efforts in Jamaica, Cuba, Sri Lanka and Myanmar.
Prior to assuming charge as DGAFMS, Air Marshal Sandeep Thareja laid a wreath at the National War Memorial in New Delhi and paid homage to the fallen heroes. With his extensive experience across clinical medicine, military healthcare, medical education, research and administration, Air Marshal Thareja is expected to provide strategic leadership to the AFMS as it continues to strengthen medical preparedness and modernise healthcare delivery for the Armed Forces community.
