In the disciplined world of military medicine, where precision and service go hand in hand, Lieutenant General Bijoy Nandan Shahi rose from a young doctor to one of the highest ranks in the Indian Armed Forces Medical Services. After graduating with honours from Darbhanga Medical College in 1964, he joined the Army Medical Corps. He completed his MD in Medicine from Pune University in 1973, topping the university, and later earned a DM in Cardiology from PGIMER Chandigarh in 1981—becoming one of the early army specialists in the field.

Posted to the Indian Military Training Team in Bhutan and later to the Army Hospital (Research & Referral) in Delhi, he steadily advanced through clinical and administrative roles. As Commandant of the Army Hospital (R&R) and later Director General of Hospital Services, he strengthened cardiac care and hospital systems across the forces. On 1 November 2002 he assumed charge as Director General of the Armed Forces Medical Services, overseeing the health of soldiers, sailors and airmen in peace and in conflict. He also served as Honorary Physician and Cardiologist to the President of India.

Colleagues remember a calm, thorough clinician who combined the rigour of military life with genuine concern for patients. “A soldier’s heart deserves the same care as any other,” he would say, whether treating a jawan or advising on high-level medical policy.

In 2004 the Government of India conferred the Padma Bhushan on him for his contributions to medicine. After retirement he continued to practise cardiology in Gurgaon, seeing patients at St. Stephen’s Hospital with the same quiet dedication that marked his long military career. From a young medical graduate in Bihar to the head of the Armed Forces Medical Services, Bijoy Nandan Shahi’s journey remains a story of steady service, clinical excellence and leadership that strengthened the medical backbone of India’s defence forces.