Lt Gen Pankaj P Rao Takes Charge as AFMC Head

On 3rd February 2025, Lieutenant General Pankaj P Rao assumed office as the Director and Commandant of the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune, succeeding Lieutenant General Sandeep Thareja.

Lieutenant General Sandeep Thareja, the outgoing Commandant, has been appointed Director General Medical Services (Air) and elevated to the rank of Air Marshal.
An alumnus of AFMC, Lieutenant General Rao was commissioned into the Indian Army in 1987 and holds advanced surgical qualifications, including fellowships in GI surgery and liver transplantation.
Over his 38-year career, he has held key academic, clinical, and administrative roles, including Senior Advisor Surgery at Army Hospital (R&R), New Delhi, and Professor & HoD of Surgery at AFMC, Pune.
He successfully led the liver transplant team at Army Hospital, New Delhi, and played a crucial role in revising the Combat Casualty Care doctrine for the Armed Forces.