New Delhi, Oct 23 (IANS): Air Marshal Sadhna Saxena Nair took over as the Director General Hospital Services (Armed Forces) on promotion to the rank of Air Marshal on Monday. She is the first woman officer to hold the post of DG Hospital services, the Indian Air Force said on Monday.

Air Marshal Sadhna Saxena Nair was previously the Principal Medical Officer at Training Command of the Indian Air Force (IAF) located at Bengaluru.

The Indian Air Force in a statement on Monday that she is effectively only the second woman officer who has served throughout in the IAF to be promoted to the rank of Air Marshal.

The first woman officer to achieve this was Air Marshal Padma Bandopadhyay (Retd), the IAF official added.

Air Marshal Sadhana is the wife of Air Marshal KP Nair (Retd). The Nairs also happen to be the first and only Air Marshal couple in the IAF.

She also has the unique distinction of being a daughter and sister of IAF doctors and of being a wife and mother of IAF fighter pilots. Three generations of her family have served in the IAF over the last seven decades.

The IAF said that she graduated from the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune and was commissioned into the IAF in Dec 1985.

She holds a Post Graduate degree in Family Medicine and has undergone a two-year training Program in Medical Informatics at AIIMS, New Delhi.

She has trained abroad in CBRN Warfare and in Military Medical Ethics. She was the first and only woman Principal Medical Officer of Western Air Command and Training Command.

She is the recipient of the Vishisht Seva Medal by the President of India, and has received CAS and AOC-in-C Commendations as well.