Behera first Odia doc to become Lt General

Bhubaneswar: Berhampur native Sanjay Darshan Behera, 60, became the first Odia doctor to be promoted to the post of Lieutenant General in the Army Medical Corps. Sanjay, who did his schooling from Stewart School, Bhubaneswar, completed his MBBS from VSS Medical College, Burla (now VIMSAR) in 1982. He joined the Army as a Captain in April 1984.
Sanjay, the eldest son of late Sudarsan Behera, a police officer and diplomat, completed his postgraduate degree in Hospital Administration from AIIMS, New Delhi in 2003, followed by M Phil from National Defence College, New Delhi in 2012. He also underwent six-month training in the US Army Medical Department Centre at St Antonio, Texas, in 1997.
During his 36 years of service in the Army, Sanjay has served as Commanding Officer of a Military Hospital, been part of a UN Mission to Somalia in 1994, has had numerous instructional assignments and also served at the Army Headquarters, New Delhi on many occasions. He is a resource faculty on various programmes and conferences on Hospital Administration and Healthcare Management, besides contributing articles to many professional journals and a textbook.
For his commendable services, he has been conferred with many awards with the most recent one being the Ati Vishisth Seva Medal on Republic Day this year.