Arti Sarin

Surgeon Vice Admiral Arti Sarin, VSM is a serving flag officer in the Indian Navy. She currently serves as the Director General Medical Services (Navy). She previously served as the Director General Medical Services (Air) in the rank of Air Marshal. Prior to that, she served as the Director and Commandant of the Armed Forces Medical College. She is the sixth woman in the Indian Armed Forces to be promoted to a three-star rank. She is the third woman officer to hold the rank of Vice Admiral in the Indian Navy, after Surgeon Vice Admirals Punita Arora and Sheila S. Mathai.


Arti Sarin

Sarin as Director General Medical Services (Navy)
Allegiance India
Service/branch Indian Navy
 Indian Air Force
Years of service1985–present
Rank Vice Admiral
Air Marshal
Commands heldArmed Forces Medical College
INHS Asvini
Awards Vishisht Seva Medal
Spouse(s)Surgeon Rear Admiral C. S. Naidu

Sarin has the rare distinction of serving in all three branches of the Indian Armed Forces. She served in the Indian Army from the ranks of Lieutenant to Captain, in the Indian Navy from Surgeon Lieutenant to Surgeon Vice Admiral and in the Indian Air Force as an Air Marshal.

Early life and education

Sarin was born into a naval family. Her father was a naval officer who served for 41 years. Her brother Rajesh also served in the navy for 30 years. A submariner, Rajesh retired a Commodore, having served as the Commodore Commanding Submarines (East) besides commanding three submarines and a frigate. Her sister-in-law, Rajesh's wife, was also a doctor in the navy.

Sarin attended the Timpany School, Viskhapatnam.[1] She then joined the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune (AFMC). At AFMC, she completed her MBBS.[2]

Military career

Sarin was commissioned in the Armed Forces Medical Services on 26 December 1985. She did her post-graduation in 1992, earning the Doctor of Medicine degree in Radiology from AFMC. She then earned a DNB degree in Radiation Oncology from the Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai.[3] She was trained in Gamma Knife Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania.[4]

Sarin has served at the Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NTSL), a defence laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in Visakhapatnam. She has also served at the Naval Hospitals INHS Dhanvantari at Port Blair, INHS Kalyani at Visakhapatnam, INHS Sanjivani at Kochi and INHS Asvini at Mumbai.[5]

Sarin is an examiner for the National Board of Examinations in Radiotherapy and the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS), Nashik. She has also been a recognised post-graduate degree teacher at the Mumbai University, Pune University and at the MUHS for MD Radiology & DNB Radiation Oncology. She has several publications in Indian and International Journals and has contributed to chapters in books of Liver disease and assisted Reproduction respectively.[6]

Sarin has served as a Professor & Head of the Department (HOD) Radiation Oncology at Army Hospital (Research & Referral) in Delhi, the Command Hospital Southern Command, Pune, the AFMC and INHS Asvini.[7] In her administrative appointments, she has served as the Senior Registrar (Medical Superintendent) at INHS Asvini and as the Principal Medical Officer Naval Dockyard (Mumbai). During the COVID-19 pandemic, as a Surgeon Commodore, Sarin oversaw the design and development of innovative solutions and set up quarantine facilities in Southern Naval Command.[5]

Flag rank

Sarin as the Director General Medical Services (Air) in the rank of Air Marshal.

On 22 June 2020, Sarin was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral and appointed Command Medical Officer, Southern Naval Command (SNC).[8] She is the second woman to have held the appointment of CMO at SNC, the first being Surgeon Rear Admiral Nirmala Kannan.[9] On 26 January 2021, she was awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal for distinguished service of a high order.[10][11] After a short stint at SNC, she was appointed Commanding Officer of INHS Asvini. On 31 January 2021, in a rare event of a change of command between two women flag officers, she took over from Surgeon Rear Admiral Sheila S. Mathai.[12]

In December 2021, Sarin relinquished charge as CO INHS Asvini and was appointed Command Medical Officer Western Naval Command.[13][14]

On 5 October 2022, she was promoted to the rank of Surgeon Vice Admiral, only the sixth woman to be promoted to three-star rank in the Indian Armed Forces. She was appointed the Director and Commandant of the Armed Forces Medical College. She took over from another woman three-star officer - Lieutenant General Rajshree Ramasethu.[15] On 10 January 2023, Sarin took over as the Director General Medical Services (Air) (DGMS Air) in the rank of Air Marshal.[16][17][18] After a short stint, she was appointed Director General Medical Services (Navy) in the rank of Surgeon Vice Admiral.[19][20]

Personal life

Sarin is married to a retired officer of the Indian Navy, Surgeon Rear Admiral C. S. Naidu, AVSM, VSM, a hepatobiliary surgeon who served in the navy for 38 years. In 2020, in a first, the couple served as the Command Medical Officers (CMO) of naval commands. While Sarin served as the CMO of the Southern Naval Command, Naidu was the CMO of the Eastern Naval Command.[21] The couple has a son, Rohan.[22]

Awards and decorations

Sarin has been awarded the Chief of the Naval Staff Commendation Card in 2001, the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief commendation in 2013, the Chief of the Army Staff commendation in 2017 and the Vishisht Seva Medal in 2021.[23]

Vishisht Seva Medal Operation Vijay Medal Sainya Seva Medal 50th Anniversary of Independence Medal
30 Years Long Service Medal 20 Years Long Service Medal 9 Years Long Service Medal

See also

References

  1. Jun 23, TNN /. "Vizag school link of SNC med officer | Visakhapatnam News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  2. "New Command Medical Officer takes charge". The Hindu. 22 June 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  3. "Vizag Appointments - Arti Sarin assumes charge as Command Medical Officer, Southern Naval Command". www.vizagcityonline.com. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  4. "Surgeon Vice-Admiral Arti Sarin takes charge as Pune Armed Forces Medical College director". The Indian Express. 7 October 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  5. "Surgeon Rear Admiral Arti Sarin Assumes charge as the Command Medical Officer, Southern Naval Command, Kochi | Indian Navy". www.indiannavy.nic.in. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  6. "Welcome to Armed Forces Medical College". www.afmc.nic.in. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  7. "Surgeon Vice-Admiral Arti Sarin takes charge as Pune AFMC director". Hindustan Times. 9 October 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  8. Jun 23, TNN /. "Vizag school link of SNC med officer | Visakhapatnam News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  9. "Nirmala Kannan: A rare job for a Rear Admiral". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  10. "Distinguished Service and Gallantry Award Winners on Republic Day 2021". www.pib.gov.in. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  11. "Medal Winners | Indian Navy". indiannavy.nic.in. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  12. "Surgeon Rear Admiral Arti Sarin takes over command Of INHS Asvini". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  13. Vernekar, Raju. "Surgeon Rear Admiral Anupam Kapur takes over as CO, INHS Asvini - Imphal Times". www.imphaltimes.com. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  14. Dec 25, टाइम्स न्यूज़ नेटवर्क /. "Mumbai: Surgeon Rear Admiral Kapur assumes duty | Mumbai News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  15. "Lt General Rajshree Ramasethu takes over as Commandant of AFMC Pune". The Indian Express. 17 September 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  16. "Surgeon Vice Admiral Arti Sarin relinquishes command of AFMC, is now DGMS Air". The Indian Express. 12 January 2023. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  17. "Air Marshal Dr. Aarti Sarin: सेना के तीनों अंगों में देश की सेवा, डॉ. आरती सरीन ने रचा इतिहास". Amar Ujala (in Hindi). Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  18. "Air Marshal Dr. Aarti Sarin: सेना के तीनों अंगों में देश की सेवा, डॉ. आरती सरीन ने रचा इतिहास". Sanj Samachar (in Gujarati). Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  19. "Meet Surgeon Vice Admiral Arti Sarin, the officer with rare distinction of serving in all 3 Services". Asianet News Network Pvt Ltd. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  20. "@indiannavy". Twitter. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  21. "A first in Navy as couple serve as CMOs of Commands". The Indian Express. 22 June 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  22. "Indian Society Of Aerospace Medicine". www.isam.in. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  23. Oct 8, TNN /. "Pune: Vice Admiral Arti Sarin takes over as Armed Forces Medical College commandant | Pune News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
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