Air Marshal Sandeep Thareja Visits Base Hospital Delhi Cantt, Reviews Patient Care and New Facilities

Air Marshal Sandeep Thareja, Director General Armed Forces Medical Services (DGAFMS), visited the Army’s Base Hospital in Delhi Cantonment on 9 October 2026. During the visit, he reviewed how the hospital is working and looked at the new facilities being added as part of its modernisation.

What he reviewed

The visit covered almost every part of the hospital’s work. The main areas he looked at were:

• Clinical services: How well the different medical departments are working and the quality of treatment being given.

• Patient care: How patients are looked after and the results of their treatment.

• Administration: How smoothly the hospital is being run and whether its systems support its medical work.

• Challenges: The day-to-day problems the hospital faces in running its services.

• Future plans: The steps planned to improve and expand the hospital in the coming years.

The Air Marshal also met officers of the hospital during the visit and discussed the work being done across its different wings. No official statement from him was shared after the review.

New facilities seen during the visit

Air Marshal Thareja visited the Capt Devashish Sharma, KC, OPD Complex. OPD stands for Out-Patient Department, the part of a hospital where patients come for check-ups and treatment without being admitted. The complex is named after Captain Devashish Sharma, who was awarded the Kirti Chakra. The Kirti Chakra is India’s second-highest gallantry award for bravery away from the battlefield.

He also saw the new infrastructure being built under the hospital’s Key Location Plan (KLP). This construction is part of the effort to modernise the hospital and increase the number of patients it can handle.

Who heads the military’s medical services?

The Director General is the senior-most medical officer of India’s armed forces. The post heads the country’s military medical services, which look after the health of soldiers, sailors and air warriors, as well as veterans and their families.

These services are made up of the medical branches of the Army, Navy and Air Force. They run a large network of military hospitals across the country, from big referral hospitals in cities to small units in remote border areas. The Director General reports to the Ministry of Defence and advises it on all medical matters related to the armed forces.

About the hospital

The Base Hospital in Delhi Cantonment is one of the major military hospitals in the national capital. It provides specialist care to serving personnel, retired soldiers and their family members. Hospitals like this act as key referral centres, where patients from smaller military hospitals are sent for advanced treatment.

Because these hospitals serve so many people, keeping their services efficient and up to date is an important job. Regular reviews by senior medical leaders help spot gaps, speed up new projects and make sure the hospital keeps pace with modern medical care.

Why the visit matters

The armed forces have been working to improve their medical services in recent years, with a focus on better buildings, newer equipment and faster care for patients. Good military healthcare also helps keep troops fit and ready, and gives families peace of mind while their loved ones serve far from home. Visits by the medical chief help check how these efforts are working on the ground.

The review shows the push towards modernising military hospitals so that soldiers, veterans and their families get good healthcare when they need it. The new out-patient block and the expansion under the KLP are expected to help the hospital serve more patients with better facilities.

For those preparing to join the armed forces, this is also a reminder that military life comes with access to a wide medical network that cares for both personnel and their families.