In short: By public notice No. R-13014/01/2024-Ethics dated 6 October 2026, the National Medical Commission issued the Guidelines on Ethical Advertising and Public Communication by Hospitals/Medical Institutions and Registered Medical Practitioners. The notice says they come into force with immediate effect.
- Issued by: Ethics & Medical Registration Board, National Medical Commission
- Notice: No. R-13014/01/2024-Ethics, dated 06/10/2026
- Basis stated in the notice: Writ Petition (Civil) No. 1160/2023 in the Supreme Court, and the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002
- Applies to: Registered Medical Practitioners (RMPs) and hospitals/medical institutions
- In force: with immediate effect
Official PDF: nmc.org.in, listed on the NMC What's New page.
- Social media and digital channels are treated as advertising where the content or manner of dissemination has a promotional character (clause 3.2).
- Details on posts: an RMP publishing any electronic media post should disclose name, qualifications, registration status and SMR/NMR Registration number (clause 3.2, Explanation III).
- Reviews and testimonials: an RMP shall not request or share patient testimonials, recommendations, endorsements or reviews for professional promotion on social media (clause 3.2, Explanation V).
- Before-and-after photographs shall not be displayed, unless published strictly for scientific or educational purposes with anonymised patient consent (clause 8.1 v).
- Claims such as "Guaranteed cures", "Best doctors", "No.1 Specialist" and "100% success" shall not be advertised (clause 8.1 iii).
- AI-generated promotional campaigns for furtherance of commercial interest are prohibited (clause 7.2).
- Penalties are graded, from a warning and mandatory ethics training for a first violation to removal from the register for 1 to 3 years for repeated violations (clause 10.1).
This is a summary of the published notice, not legal advice. Check the official notice for the exact text.
