IAF’s First Woman Officer & Vishist Seva Medal Awardee Vijayalakshmi Ramanan Dies

New Delhi: Retired Wing Commander Dr Vijayalakshmi Ramanan, the first female commissioned officer of the Indian Air Force (IAF), died on Sunday at her daughter’s place.

She was 96 and was suffering from old age illnesses. She is survived by a daughter and son, PTI reported.

Born in February 1924, Ramanan completed her MBBS and was commissioned in the Army Medical Corps on August 22, 1955, while being seconded to the Air Force with effect from the same day.

She got promoted to the rank of Wing Commander in August 1972, and was bestowed with the Vishist Seva Medal in 1977.

She served as a gyanecologist at various Air Force Hospitals, attending to wounded troops during wars and dispensing administrative duties. She retired in February 1979.