In a significant development for military healthcare in northern India, Command Hospital, Lucknow, has inaugurated a state-of-the-art 1000 mA Digital Radiography and Fluoroscopy System. The advanced diagnostic unit was formally commissioned by Lieutenant General Navin Sachdeva, Chief of Staff of the Indian Army’s Central Command, during a visit to the hospital’s Department of Radiodiagnosis & Imaging.
The newly installed equipment is expected to greatly enhance diagnostic efficiency and safety by reducing radiation exposure by up to 40 percent, as supported by a study published in the Journal of Radiology. It is designed to benefit over six lakh active and retired military personnel and their dependents who rely on the hospital for medical services.
Lt Gen Sachdeva praised the professionalism of the hospital’s medical staff, known as the Surya Healers, for their commitment to delivering high-quality care. The Command Hospital, which currently has 42 operational beds, is on course to be fully commissioned as a multi-specialty facility by the end of 2025. Operated under the Lucknow Cantonment Board, it is central to the region’s military medical infrastructure.
The inauguration also reflects a broader push by the Central Command to modernize its healthcare facilities while maintaining operational readiness. The Command oversees military operations across eight states and plays a key role in managing security along the Indo-Nepal and Indo-Tibet borders. Historically a strategic reserve during the 1962 Sino-Indian War, the command now places equal emphasis on welfare initiatives alongside its defense responsibilities.
Lt Gen Sachdeva, who assumed the position of Chief of Staff on April 10, 2025, previously served as the General Officer Commanding of the Nagrota-based White Knight Corps (16 Corps) in Jammu and Kashmir. His tenure is marked by a focus on both frontline operational capability and administrative reform, especially in the area of troop welfare.
The introduction of this high-end diagnostic system reaffirms the Indian Army’s commitment to improving veteran support services and upgrading healthcare technologies across its medical establishments.
