India's first woman doctor later wing commander of IAF, Vijayalakshmi Ramanan passes away at 96

Wing Commander of the Indian Air Force, Dr. Vijayalakshmi Ramanan (Retd) VSM passes away on Sunday night. She was 96 and took her last breath at her daughters house at 8:50pm.

Known as India's first woman officer of the Air Force, she was commissioned as an officer in the Air Force on August 2, 1955 and became the Wing Commander on 22 August 1972. On 28 February 1979, she retired. Since then to date she served as a Gynecologist in almost all the Air Force Hospitals. She had taken special interest in family planning work and guided the lady doctors of the defence installation in Bangalore to accelerate the pace of the task in hand.

For her single minded devotion to duty and organizing medical services for ladies and children of the defence services personnel attending Air Force Hospital, Bangalore, Wing Commander (Mrs.) Vijayalakshmi Ramanan is awarded Vishisht Seva Medal.

DR Vijayalaxmi Ramanan was the first woman medical officer later wing commander, an army doctor who got inducted in Indian Air Force (IAF) in 1995.