Mathai was born into an Armed Forces family. Her father was a surgeon in the Army Medical Corps. She attended the Loreto Schools, Kolkata. She lost her parents early and joined the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune (AFMC), her father's alma mater. At AFMC, she completed her MBBS and was awarded the Kalinga Trophy for the best outgoing student.[2]
Surgeon Vice Admiral Sheila S. Mathai (left) with the DGAFMS Surgeon Vice Admiral Rajat Datta.
Mathai has set up the paediatric departments at INHS Dhanvantari in Port Blair and at the INHS Jeevanti in Goa. She has also set up the neonatal intensive care units in service and cantonment hospitals in Mumbai and Pune. As a Surgeon Commodore, she served as the Professor and Head of Department of Paediatrics at the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune. She subsequently served as the Director & Dean of the Institute of Naval Medicine in Mumbai, an institute headed by her husband in the past.[3][4]
Flag rank
Surg RAdm Mathai receives the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at INHS Asvini.
Mathai was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral and appointed Command Medical Officer, Eastern Naval Command. She was subsequently appointed Commanding Officer of the naval hospital INHS Asvini in Mumbai. She was in command of the naval hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] On 31 January 2021, she relinquished command of Asvini, handing over to Rear Admiral Arti Sarin, in a rare event of a change of command between two women flag officers. On 1 February, she took over as the Command Medical Officer of the Western Naval Command.[5]
Mathai is married to a retired officer of the Indian Navy, Surgeon Commodore K. I. Mathai, VSM, a neurosurgeon who served in the navy for 35 years. The couple have a daughter.[2]
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