NMC advertising guidelines 2026: what clinics can post What the 6 Oct 2026 notice allows, what it bans, and what it means for Google, WhatsApp and Instagram.

A clinic can post factual information: the clinic's name, address, phone, timings, departments, services, facilities and fees, and the names of its doctors with their recognised qualifications and registration numbers. It cannot post anything that solicits patients or promotes a doctor: testimonials, reviews it has bought or asked for on social media, "best doctor" or "100% success" claims, before-and-after photos, or AI-generated promotional campaigns. That is the short version of the NMC's Guidelines on Ethical Advertising and Public Communication by Hospitals/Medical Institutions and Registered Medical Practitioners, Notice No. R-13014/01/2024-Ethics dated 6 Oct 2026, which came into force with immediate effect.

The notice runs to 13 pages. It was issued by the Ethics and Medical Registration Board, cites Writ Petition (Civil) No. 1160/2023 in the Supreme Court and the 2002 conduct regulations, and is signed by the NMC Secretary. Section numbers below are from the annexed guidelines.

Who do the guidelines apply to?

Two groups. The first is registered medical practitioners (RMPs): doctors whose names are on the National Register or a State Medical Register (section 3.7). The second is hospitals and medical institutions, defined in section 3.4 as a clinical establishment for diagnosis, treatment or care "where patients may be admitted and treated as in-patients or treated as out-patients", in any recognised system of medicine. A small OPD clinic falls inside that definition. A single-doctor clinic is caught twice: the doctor as an RMP, and the clinic as an establishment.

For doctors, the guidelines are read with the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002 and the NMC Act, 2019, and where they truly conflict the statute and the regulations prevail (section 4.2). For clinics as establishments, they are read with the Clinical Establishments Act or your state's own Act, which overrides the guidelines in a conflict (section 4.3). Our clinic registration guide explains which Act applies in your state.

Handing the work to an agency does not move the responsibility. Section 4.4 says that publishing through a platform, agency, influencer or other intermediary does not by itself absolve the doctor or institution of content it "authorized, commissioned, sponsored, adopted or knowingly permitted".

What counts as an advertisement?

Section 3.2 defines an advertisement as any communication, in any medium, that directly or indirectly solicits or promotes the professional services, reputation, skills, qualifications, achievements or facilities of a doctor or institution. Digital, social media, sponsored, targeted, influencer-led, search-engine, platform-based, audio-visual and AI-generated or AI-assisted communication is treated as advertising "where their content or manner of dissemination has a promotional character".

Section 3.5 lists the media: print, television, radio, social media, websites and blogs, messaging platforms (it names WhatsApp, Telegram and Facebook), podcasts, influencer marketing, sponsored posts, AI-generated promotion, interviews and news articles meant for promotion, and online healthcare platforms. Explanation I to section 3.2 exempts information given to the public in the normal course, without being promotional and without intent for commercial benefit.

What a clinic is allowed to post

Section 9.1 sets the boundary for clinics: they "may advertise only factual information", limited to objective and verifiable particulars such as the name of the establishment, contact details, departments functioning, diagnostic facilities, emergency services, accreditation status, other facilities offered and applicable fees. Section 8.3(i) repeats this for hospitals and medical institutions and adds location, equipment, services and charges.

• Doctor directory: a website listing its doctors' names, recognised qualifications, specialties, registration details and availability, serving a patient-information purpose, is "materially distinct" from a promotional advertisement (section 9.1).
• Registration details on every post: a doctor publishing on electronic media discloses name, qualifications, registration status and SMR/NMR registration number (section 3.2, Explanation III). A clinic's posts name the doctor with the same details (Explanation IV).
• Fees: "Any lawful disclosure of charges, packages or fees shall be factual, transparent and not misleading" (section 8.1(x)). Public declaration of consultation fees is one of the permitted announcements (sections 8.2(ii)(g) and 9.3).
• Formal announcements by a doctor: starting practice, change of type of practice, change of address, temporary absence, resumption of practice, succeeding to another practice, and public declaration of charges (section 8.2(ii)). Section 9.3 adds that these must be factual, non-promotional and limited in scope.
• Equipment and services: availability of equipment, technology, diagnostic facilities or services may be shared as factual information, without claims of superiority, guaranteed accuracy, guaranteed outcomes or comparisons (section 3.2, Explanation II).
• Health education: doctors may take part in awareness programmes, public health campaigns and educational content that do not promote personal practice, do not solicit patients and are not monetised through promotional marketing (section 5.1). Lectures and talks on TV, radio and electronic media in the doctor's own name are allowed, without promoting the employer (section 8.2(iii)).
• Leaflets for your own patients: health education pamphlets for patients visiting the clinic, with no guarantee of cure, no superiority claim and nothing unsubstantiated (section 8.2(iv)).
• Greetings on days of national importance or related to the profession, without advertising professional gains (section 8.2(v)).

What is banned

Section 8.1 lists the restrictions for doctors; most of them also name hospitals and medical institutions directly. Section 8.3(ii) bars clinics from patient solicitation, inducement, superiority claims, cure guarantees, unverifiable claims and "promotional portrayal of an individual RMP".

AI-generated content

Section 7.2 opens: "AI Generated promotional campaign for furtherance of commercial interest is prohibited." Any AI-generated promotional content that otherwise conforms to the guidelines must carry a source mark stating explicitly that it was made by AI. AI cannot be used to make misleading claims about diagnosis, treatment, outcomes, qualifications or patient experiences (7.2(a)), or to create or alter a patient's image, testimonial, voice or outcome, or a synthetic endorsement by a patient or doctor (7.2(b)). Materially AI-altered content needs disclosure where its artificial nature matters to the viewer (7.2(c)), and patient data fed into an AI tool must meet privacy and data-protection law (7.2(d)).

In practice: an AI-written caption for an awareness post is labelled as AI-generated. An AI "patient" talking about their recovery, an AI avatar of the doctor, or an AI-enhanced before-and-after image is out.

Instagram, Google Business Profile and WhatsApp

The guidelines do not name Instagram, YouTube or Google Business Profile. They do not need to: section 3.2 covers social media, search-engine and platform-based communication with a promotional character, and section 3.6 defines social media as any internet-based site or app that lets users create, share and join online communities. Section 7.1 asks doctors and clinics to use social media "in the most responsible manner".

Instagram, Facebook and YouTube

• Every post names the doctor with qualifications, registration status and SMR/NMR number (section 3.2, Explanations III and IV). Put it in the bio and in the caption or the end card of a video.
• Awareness posts are fine when they teach and do not sell: no "book now" pressure, no offers, no outcome claims (sections 5.1, 8.1(i), 8.1(x)).
• No reels of patient reactions, thank-you notes, gift hampers from patients or "happy patient" photos (sections 3.2 Expl. V, 6.2, 8.1(ii)).
• No paid follower or engagement services, and no pods that trade likes (section 8.1(xii)).
• Sponsored or boosted posts are advertising under section 3.2. The notice does not ban them in words, but their content must stay within section 9.1, and section 8.3(ii) warns that "the form, medium or frequency of communication" can turn factual information into solicitation.

Google Business Profile and reviews

A business listing with the clinic's name, address, phone, hours, services and fees is the kind of factual information section 9.1 allows. Reviews are the hard part. Section 8.1(xii) bars procuring or manipulating reviews and ratings, and Explanation V to section 3.2 bars soliciting fake, paid or misleading reviews and says a doctor "shall not request or share patient testimonials, recommendations, endorsements or reviews for professional promotion on social media". The notice does not say whether a Google listing is "social media" under section 3.6. Until the NMC clarifies (it can, under section 12), the cautious reading is: do not ask patients for reviews, no QR code at the counter asking for five stars, no rewards for reviews, and do not reshare reviews as posts.

Replying to a review is where clinics leak patient information. Do not confirm that the reviewer is a patient, and never mention a diagnosis or a visit date in a public reply (sections 6.1, 6.4 and 7.4; regulation 7.14 of the 2002 regulations on patient confidentiality also applies).

WhatsApp broadcasts

Section 3.5 names WhatsApp as a medium of advertisement, and section 10.1(iv) lists "digital mass solicitation" among serious violations. A broadcast to your contact list offering a free check-up, a festival discount or a package price is the kind of message these sections are aimed at. A formal announcement under section 8.2(ii) (new address, clinic closed for a week, revised consultation fee) is permitted, and messages that are part of a patient's own care, such as their token or a follow-up date, are not promotional in character under Explanation I to section 3.2. Messages to patients also have to follow the DPDP Act and its 2025 Rules where they apply (section 7.6); see our post on the DPDP Act for clinics.

The 2002 rules that still apply alongside

The 2026 guidelines sit on top of the 2002 conduct regulations; they do not replace them. Four provisions matter for a clinic's public face.

• Regulation 6.1.1: soliciting patients directly or indirectly is unethical, and a physician may not use their name in advertising that invites attention to their skill, qualifications, achievements or specialities, or results in self-aggrandisement. The same seven formal announcements are allowed.
• Regulation 6.1.2: printing a self-photograph or other publicity material on the letterhead or the consulting room signboard is self-advertisement and unethical. Sketches, diagrams and pictures of the human system are allowed.
• Regulation 7.13: the signboard should carry only the doctor's name, qualifications from a university or statutory body, titles, speciality, and registration number with the name of the State Medical Council, and should not be unusually large. The prescription paper should carry the same contents.
• Regulation 1.4.1: every physician displays their registration number in the clinic and on all prescriptions, certificates and money receipts. Not displaying it is misconduct under regulation 7.3.

The NMC's 2023 conduct regulations were held in abeyance by a notification dated 23 Aug 2023 (Gazette of India No. 596, 24 Aug 2023), which brought the 2002 regulations back into effect, so the 2002 text is the one in force; our post on medical records retention covers that history.

What happens if a doctor or clinic breaks them?

For doctors, the state medical council acts. Section 10.1 lists a graded scale the council may apply:

Penalties come only after a show-cause notice and a chance to explain (section 10.2), and the council must pass a reasoned order naming the violation (section 10.3). A doctor can appeal to the NMC's Ethics and Medical Registration Board within 60 days under section 30(3) of the NMC Act, with a second appeal within 60 days under section 30(4) (sections 11.1 and 11.4). Clinics as establishments are dealt with under the Clinical Establishments Act or the state Act that applies (section 10.1, Explanation; section 11.5), and a doctor who authorised or endorsed the clinic's prohibited post can be examined separately. Our state medical councils list has the council for each state.

Section 7.3's Explanation exempts campaigns on Government of India and state government programmes and schemes in the larger public interest. Section 9.4 puts a separate duty on healthcare platforms that list doctors: follow the NMC norms, no paid ranking of doctors, and transparent listing practices.

How a clinic can still get found, within the rules

At most neighbourhood OPDs, new patients come because someone nearby told them, or because they searched for the doctor or the clinic and found the right address and timings. The guidelines leave the second route open as long as what is published is accurate and factual. A checklist:

1. Make every listing match: the same clinic name, address, phone number, timings and holidays on your Google listing, website, signboard and any doctor platform. Update it the day timings change.
2. On every listing and post, name each doctor with recognised qualifications, specialty, registration number and the council that issued it (section 3.2, Explanations III and IV; regulation 7.13). The state medical councils list helps you write the council name correctly.
3. Publish your fees plainly: consultation, follow-up and any procedure charges, as fixed amounts (sections 8.1(x), 9.1). Avoid "starting from" prices that mislead.
4. List services and facilities factually: "ECG available", "dressing and minor procedures", "Saturday evening OPD". No "advanced", "latest", "best" or "painless" (section 3.2 Expl. II; 8.1(iii), (ix)).
5. Keep a simple website with a doctor directory and availability, which section 9.1 treats as patient information, not advertising.
6. Write or record health education that answers questions your patients actually ask, in your own name, without offers or calls to book (sections 5.1, 8.2(iii)). Label anything AI helped write (section 7.2).
7. Give patients leaflets in the clinic on preparation for tests, diet sheets you already hand out, or how follow-ups work (section 8.2(iv)).
8. Announce real changes formally: new address, new doctor joining, revised fee, closure dates (sections 8.2(ii), 9.3).
9. Drop anything that pays per patient or per lead, any review drive, and any agency that promises "top ranking" (sections 8.1(vii), (viii), (xii)).
10. Before posting, check the photo and caption for anything that could identify a patient (sections 6.4, 7.4).