NMC professional conduct regulations: the clinic guide Which rules are in force, clause by clause, and what changed.

The NMC professional conduct regulations that bind a doctor in private practice today are the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002, published in the Gazette on 6 April 2002 and amended up to 8 October 2016. The NMC re-adopted them by a Gazette notification dated 23 August 2023, the same notification that held the newer Registered Medical Practitioner (Professional Conduct) Regulations, 2023 in abeyance. On top of the 2002 code sit the NMC Guidelines on Ethical Advertising and Public Communication, a public notice dated 6 October 2026 that is in force with immediate effect. This post goes through the 2002 clauses an OPD meets every day, then what the 2023 text would have changed, then the advertising notice, and ends with a desk checklist.

Which NMC rules are in force in 2026

The 2002 regulations were made by the Medical Council of India under the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956. When the NMC replaced the MCI, it notified its own code, the NMC Registered Medical Practitioner (Professional Conduct) Regulations, 2023, on 2 August 2023. Three weeks later, by notification No. R-12013/01/2022/Ethics dated 23 August 2023 (Gazette of India No. 596, 24 August 2023), the NMC held the 2023 regulations "in abeyance with immediate effect", said they "shall not be operative and effective till further Gazette Notification", and adopted the 2002 regulations "as if the same have been made by the Commission" under the NMC Act, 2019.

We checked the NMC's What's New listing on 26 October 2026. The latest conduct-related entry is the 6 October 2026 advertising notice. Nothing re-notifies the 2023 regulations. So when a sales call or a colleague quotes "the new NMC rules for doctors", ask which document they mean. The clause numbers below are from the 2002 text as it stands after the 2009 and 2016 amendments. Section 30(2) of the NMC Act, 2019 tells state medical councils to act "in accordance with the regulations made, and the guidelines framed, under this Act", which is why both the 2002 code and the 2026 guidelines reach your council.

Chapter 1: duties that touch the OPD desk

Chapter 1 is the code of medical ethics proper. Clause 1.1.1 asks a physician to "uphold the dignity and honour of his profession", and 1.1.2 says "reward or financial gain is a subordinate consideration". Those set the tone. The clauses that create paperwork are the ones below.

1.2.3: continuing medical education

A physician "should participate in professional meetings as part of Continuing Medical Education programmes, for at least 30 hours every five years, organized by reputed professional academic bodies or any other authorized organisations", and compliance "shall be informed regularly" to the council. Several state councils tie registration renewal to CME credits; the interval and credit count are set by each council, so check yours on the state medical councils list.

1.3: records, the 72-hour copy and the certificate register

Clause 1.3.1 requires every physician to keep the records of "indoor patients for a period of 3 years from the date of commencement of the treatment" in the Appendix 3 proforma. Clause 1.3.2 says a request for records from the patient, an authorised attendant or a legal authority "may be duly acknowledged and documents shall be issued within the period of 72 hours". Clause 1.3.3 requires a "Register of Medical Certificates giving full details of certificates issued", a copy of every certificate, and the patient's signature or thumb mark, address and at least one identification mark on each certificate, in the Appendix 2 form. Clause 1.3.4 asks only that "efforts shall be made to computerize medical records for quick retrieval". How these play out for OPD records, and what to do when a patient asks for a copy, is in our post on how long a clinic must keep medical records.

1.4: the registration number and the letters after your name

Clause 1.4.1: "Every physician shall display the registration number accorded to him by the State Medical Council / Medical Council of India in his clinic and in all his prescriptions, certificates, money receipts given to his patients." Clause 1.4.2 allows as suffix to the name "only recognized medical degrees or such certificates/diplomas and memberships/honours which confer professional knowledge or recognizes any exemplary qualification/achievements". Breaking either is listed as misconduct in 7.3. In practice this means the number goes on the letterhead, the certificate pad, the receipt book and the wall, and a weekend course certificate does not go after your name.

1.5: generic names, legibly, preferably in capitals

The 2016 amendment (published in the Gazette on 8 October 2016) replaced 1.5 with: "Every physician should prescribe drugs with generic names legibly and preferably in capital letters and he/she shall ensure that there is a rational prescription and use of drugs". The NMC repeated this on 15 December 2025 in letter No. NMC/LEGAL/25436 to all medical colleges, enclosing a PGMEB public notice dated 11 December 2025 that followed an order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court dated 27 August 2025 in Yogesh vs State of Haryana. The notice quotes clause 1.5 and adds "Compliance of these directions is mandatory", and asks every medical college to set up a sub-committee under its Drugs and Therapeutics Committee to monitor prescriptions. The letter is addressed to colleges, so it does not change what a private clinic must do; the rule for a private clinic is still clause 1.5 itself. Clause 6.3 adds that drugs a physician prescribes or supplies "should explicitly state the proprietary formulae as well as generic name of the drug". What a prescription should carry is laid out in our prescription format tool.

1.6 to 1.9: staff, colleagues, fees and other laws

• 1.6 Highest quality assurance in patient care: a physician "shall not employ in connection with his professional practice any attendant who is neither registered nor enlisted under the Medical Acts in force and shall not permit such persons to attend, treat or perform operations upon patients wherever professional discretion or skill is required". The front desk can register patients and take fees; it cannot examine or treat.
• 1.7 Exposure of unethical conduct: a physician "should expose, without fear or favour, incompetent or corrupt, dishonest or unethical conduct on the part of members of the profession".
• 1.8 Payment of professional services: "A physician should announce his fees before rendering service and not after the operation or treatment is under way", the amount charged should be the amount announced, and a "no cure no payment" contract is unethical. The code does not fix a fee or call for a "reasonable" one; it asks that the fee be declared first.
• 1.9 Evasion of legal restrictions: a physician "shall observe the laws of the country in regulating the practice of medicine", and the clause lists the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, the NDPS Act, 1985, the MTP Act, 1971, the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisement) Act, 1954 and the Bio-Medical Waste rules among others. Our biomedical waste guide covers the last one for a small clinic.

Chapters 2 and 3: patients, emergencies, consultations and fees

Clause 2.1.1 starts with "a physician is not bound to treat each and every person asking his services", then narrows it: "in case of emergency a physician must treat the patient" and "No physician shall arbitrarily refuse treatment to a patient". Refusal is allowed "for good reason" when the ailment "is not within the range of experience of the treating physician", with a referral. Clause 2.4 repeats the emergency duty and adds that once a case is taken up the physician "should not neglect the patient, nor should he withdraw from the case without giving adequate notice to the patient and his family". Clause 2.2 keeps confidences "concerning individual or domestic life" private unless the law requires disclosure, and 2.3 asks the physician to "neither exaggerate nor minimize the gravity of a patient's condition".

Chapter 3 is about consultations and referrals. Clause 3.1 says unnecessary consultations should be avoided and that lab and imaging requests "should be done judiciously and not in a routine manner". Clause 3.3 asks for "utmost punctuality" in being available for consultations, which a running token board makes visible to every patient in the waiting room. Clause 3.6 asks for a case summary when a patient is referred to a specialist, and for the specialist's opinion in writing. Clause 3.7 is the fee rule a clinic owner needs:

• 3.7.1: "A physician shall clearly display his fees and other charges on the board of his chamber and/or the hospitals he is visiting. Prescription should also make clear if the Physician himself dispensed any medicine."
• 3.7.2: "A physician shall write his name and designation in full along with registration particulars in his prescription letter head."

Fee-splitting is not in 3.7; it is in 6.4, below. What a receipt should show is in our post on what a clinic bill or receipt must include.

Chapter 6: advertising, commission and the pharma industry

Chapter 6 lists acts "which shall be construed as unethical". Three matter to a clinic.

6.1 Advertising

Clause 6.1.1: "Soliciting of patients directly or indirectly, by a physician, by a group of physicians or by institutions or organisations is unethical." A physician may not use their name in advertising that invites attention to their "professional position, skill, qualification, achievements, attainments, specialities" or that would result in "self aggrandizement", may not endorse any drug or product, and may not "boast of cases, operations, cures or remedies". Seven formal press announcements are allowed: starting practice, change of type of practice, change of address, temporary absence, resumption of practice, succeeding to another practice, and "public declaration of charges". Clause 6.1.2 makes a self-photograph or publicity material on the letterhead or signboard an act of self-advertisement; sketches, diagrams and pictures of the human system are fine.

6.4 Rebates and commission

Clause 6.4.1: a physician "shall not give, solicit, or receive nor shall he offer to give solicit or receive, any gift, gratuity, commission or bonus in consideration of or return for the referring, recommending or procuring of any patient", and shall not take part in "division, transference, assignment, subordination, rebating, splitting or refunding of any fee". Clause 6.4.2 applies the same rule to referring specimens for diagnostics, and clarifies that paying salaries to qualified people working under your supervision is allowed. A cut from the lab or pharmacy next door is the case this clause was written for; 7.19 adds that a physician "shall not use touts or agents for procuring patients".

6.8 Gifts, travel, hospitality and cash from industry

Clause 6.8, added by a Gazette notification of 14 December 2009 and amended on 1 February 2016, is the code of conduct for doctors in their relationship with the pharmaceutical and allied health sector industry. A medical practitioner "shall not receive any gift" from industry or its representatives (a), shall not accept any travel facility "for self and family members for vacation or for attending conferences, seminars, workshops, CME programme etc as a delegate" (b), shall not accept individually any hospitality "like hotel accommodation" (c), shall not receive "any cash or monetary grants" for individual purpose (d), and "shall not endorse any drug or product of the industry publically" (h). Research funding must come through approved institutions and be disclosed. The 2016 amendment added a table of action by value, printed against gifts, travel, hospitality and cash alike:

For the research, autonomy, affiliation and endorsement limbs (e to h), the table says "First time censure, and thereafter removal of name" from the register.

Chapter 7: the misconduct list

Chapter 7 names acts that "shall constitute professional misconduct rendering him/her liable for disciplinary action". Clause 7.1 makes any violation of the regulations misconduct, so the list is illustrative, and 8.1 says so in terms. The entries a clinic should know:

Chapter 8: what happens when a complaint is filed

Clause 8.2: a complaint of professional misconduct "can be brought before the appropriate Medical Council", which "would hold an enquiry and give opportunity to the registered medical practitioner to be heard in person or by pleader". If found guilty, the council "may award such punishment as deemed necessary or may direct the removal altogether or for a specified period" from the register, and a deletion "shall be widely publicized in local press". Clause 8.4 sets a time limit of 6 months for the decision, and 8.5 lets the council restrain the physician from the procedure or practice under scrutiny while the complaint is pending.

Clauses 8.7 and 8.8 were added on 27 May 2004. Under 8.8 a person aggrieved by the state council's decision may appeal "within a period of 60 days from the date of receipt of the order", extendable by a further 60 days for sufficient cause. The 2002 text names the MCI as the appellate body; today the route runs under section 30 of the NMC Act, 2019. Section 30(2) says the state council acts under the regulations and guidelines made under the Act and must give "an opportunity of hearing" before any action, "including imposition of any monetary penalty". Section 30(3) gives an appeal from the state council to the Ethics and Medical Registration Board, whose decision binds the council, and section 30(4) gives a second appeal to the Commission "within sixty days of communication of such decision". Where a state has no council, the Board itself receives complaints.

What the 2023 regulations would have changed (not in force)

The NMC Registered Medical Practitioner (Professional Conduct) Regulations, 2023 are the ones most "NMC new rules for doctors" articles describe. They are not in force. Since the 23 August 2023 notification they "shall not be operative and effective till further Gazette Notification". For the record, here is what they would have changed against the 2002 clauses, so you can place any forward you receive:

If the NMC re-notifies the 2023 text or a revised one, this table is the list of things to re-check. Until then, the left column is the rule.

The 6 October 2026 advertising guidelines

The NMC Guidelines on Ethical Advertising and Public Communication by Hospitals/Medical Institutions and Registered Medical Practitioners (public notice No. R-13014/01/2024-Ethics, 6 October 2026) were framed in view of Writ Petition (Civil) No. 1160/2023 in the Supreme Court and the 2002 regulations, and came "into force with immediate effect". Clause 2.1(f) says they operate "without altering, overriding or derogating from any existing statutory or regulatory requirement", so 6.1 and 7.13 still apply. They add digital detail: a doctor's electronic media posts must disclose name, qualifications, registration status and SMR/NMR number (3.2, Explanation III); no requesting or sharing patient testimonials or reviews for promotion (Explanation V); no "Guaranteed cures", "Best doctors", "No.1 Specialist", "100% success" or "painless treatment" (8.1(iii)); and a graded scale of action by the state council from a warning and ethics training for a first violation to removal from the register for 1 to 3 years for repeated ones (10.1). What a clinic can and cannot post on Instagram, Google and WhatsApp is in our post on the NMC advertising guidelines 2026 for clinics.

A desk checklist against the 2002 regulations

1. Letterhead: name and designation in full, recognised qualifications only, speciality, registration number with the name of the state medical council (1.4.1, 1.4.2, 3.7.2, 7.13). No photograph or publicity material (6.1.2). Use the same details on the certificate pad.
2. Signboard: the same five items as the letterhead, not unusually large, and only at the place where you practise, never on a chemist's shop (7.13).
3. Prescription: generic names, legibly, preferably in capitals (1.5); the registration number on every one (1.4.1); a note if you dispensed any medicine yourself (3.7.1).
4. Certificate register: a register of medical certificates with full details, a copy of each certificate, and the patient's signature or thumb mark, address and one identification mark on the certificate (1.3.3). Our medical certificate format tool follows the Appendix 2 fields.
5. Fee display: consultation and other charges on a board in the chamber, announced before the service (1.8, 3.7.1). The registration number on every money receipt (1.4.1).
6. Records retention: indoor records for 3 years from the start of treatment in the Appendix 3 proforma, and any request for records acknowledged and met within 72 hours (1.3.1, 1.3.2, 7.2). Keep a log of who asked, when, and what was given.
7. Staff: no unregistered attendant examines or treats a patient (1.6); written consent on file before any operation (7.16); nobody at the desk confirms a patient's visit or diagnosis to a caller (7.14).
8. Referrals and labs: no commission, rebate or fee split on any referral, patient or specimen (6.4); a case summary with each referral (3.6).
9. Industry: no gifts, travel, hotel stays or cash from pharma or device companies, in any amount, and no public endorsement of a product (6.8).
10. Complaint handling: if a notice comes from the state medical council, reply in time, attend the hearing in person or through a pleader (8.2), and diarise the 60-day appeal window (8.8; NMC Act s.30).