NEW DELHI: Doctors will now have to pay a fee to obtain a National Medical Register (NMR) number under a draft regulation released by the National Medical Commission (NMC).
The draft Registration of Medical Practitioners and License to Practice Medicine (Amendment) Regulations, 2026, issued by the Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB), proposes that State Medical Councils (SMCs) review applications for registration and licences after collecting a fee, within 30 days.
The proposal, however, goes against the National Medical Commission Act, 2019, which says the NMC and SMCs must prepare the NMR based on a doctor’s registration with the state medical council. The draft makes NMR mandatory and places responsibility on doctors. The NMC had earlier made the NMR, a central database for modern medicine practitioners, voluntary after its launch by Union Health
Minister JP Nadda on August 23, 2024.
RTI activist Dr KV Babu said the draft regulation was not aligned with Section 31 of the NMC Act, 2019. “The statute is clear that the NMC and state medical councils must prepare the NMR based on doctors’ state registration,” said Babu.
He said the law did not allow the EMRB to transfer this responsibility to doctors registered with SMCs and paying a fee. He also questioned allowing SMCs to charge a fee to verify data they already possess.
Babu has written to the NMC seeking withdrawal of the draft and consultation with stakeholders, including the IMA. Under the draft, a person or foreign medical graduate must apply to the SMC through the EMRB’s Unified Registration Portal. The SMC will examine the application and decide on registration and licensing within 30 days.
Once approved, registration will be reflected in the State Medical Register and NMR.
Once registered, medic can practise across India
Once approved, registration will be reflected in the State Medical Register and NMR. A doctor receiving registration, a licence and an NMR UID will be able to practise anywhere in India without registering again in another state or Union Territory. The NMC published the draft on August 11 and also invited stakeholders to submit objections and suggestions within 30 days.
