During the onset of the pandemic outbreak in the world, when India was bracing for the first incoming wave of infections, the government turned to its most reliable front of defence ahead of the war against a foreign and lethal disease.
For setting up its first quarantine facilities to manage Covid-19 patients and control the spread of infections, the government depended on the Armed Forces Medical Services.
The Armed Forces Medical Services have risen to the occasion during many national crises such as wars or war-like situations, natural calamities such as floods and cyclones, and it did not fail to rise to the Covid-19 challenge.
The initial control on the pandemic would not have been possible if the Armed Forces Medical Services had not moved with precision and military-level strategies to put COVID-19 precautions and treatment facilities in place.
Under the bright example of bravery set by the Indian Armed Forces, the medical wing of the Indian Army often gets eclipsed despite having a wide network of well-equipped hospitals and 7,000 or more trained medical specialists who are selflessly dedicated towards serving the citizens of India.
During the pandemic, though, the Armed Forces Medical Services played a visibly crucial role in the country’s fight against the deadly coronavirus. Among the top officials of the Armed Forces Medical Services, who took important decisions on the Covid-19 management strategy, was Surgeon Vice Admiral Rajat Datta, erstwhile Director General Medical Services (Navy).
A cardiologist by practice, the renowned Army medical official is also the Flag Officer who is appointed as the honorary surgeon to the President of India. The Flag Officer has been promoted to the post of Director General of the Armed Forces Medical Services. He is now the senior-most medical official of the army, across all the divisions of the army.
Vice Admiral Datta is an alumnus of the prestigious Armed Forces Medical College, Pune. After graduating with an MBBS degree in 1982, he was commissioned to the AMC. After this, he completed his postgraduate studies in the medical sciences from the Bangalore University in 1990. He super-specialised in cardiology in 1998, from the Pune University.
Apart from handling the responsibilities of the director general of the Armed Forces Medical Services, Vice Admiral Datta is also a renowned teacher and examiner in many medical institutes and universities.
In a career spanning more than 30 years, Vice Admiral Datta has served as a Classified specialist at many armed forces base hospitals and command hospitals. He has also served as the Professor and Head of Department of Cardiology at the MH (CTC) Pune and Army Hospital (R & R) Delhi Cantonment.
He is known for his superior skill at the surgeon’s table and for his efficient decisions at leadership positions. For his dedication to the medical services, he has received many prestigious army awards such as the Vishisht Seva Medal in 2005, Seva Medal (D) in 2014 and Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2017.
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