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Medical panel proposes one ID for doctors nationwide
New Indian Express··20 Aug
The National Medical Commission published draft Registration of Medical Practitioners and Licence to Practice Medicine Amendment Regulations, 2026, on 11 August. The National Medical Register would hold each doctor's unique ID, licence status and disciplinary orders from State Medical Councils, the Ethics Board or the NMC. Stakeholders have 30 days from the Gazette notice to file objections.
Prism
What It Means For You
- If you are a registered doctor, the draft says one UID would let you practise in another state without taking out a second licence.
- Patients moving between states could, if the register is public as proposed, see whether a licence is active and whether a suspension or removal order exists.
- Existing practitioners without a UID would have a window to update details on the Ethics Board portal, with no fee for that one-time step.
What's Happening
- The draft was issued under Section 31 of the NMC Act, 2019, which already provides for a National Medical Register.
- Action recommended by a Council other than the doctor's primary registration state would still flow into the national register and back to the home state list.
- The Print linked the proposal to gaps exposed when a fake cardiologist's history was hard to track across states.
How State Councils Would Still Hear Complaints
- The Council in whose jurisdiction the alleged misconduct occurred would still conduct the enquiry, even if the doctor is registered elsewhere.
- The Ethics Board would electronically synchronise changes so that an order of suspension, removal or restoration is not confined to one state's paper register.
- The NMC invited objections and suggestions from all stakeholders within 30 days of the Gazette notification.
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