State Medical Council: what it does and why it matters The definition in the NMC Act, the State Register, renewal, CME and discipline.

A State Medical Council is, in section 2(u) of the National Medical Commission Act 2019, "a medical council constituted under any law for the time being in force in any State or Union territory for regulating the practice and registration of practitioners of medicine in that State or Union territory". Each council is created by its own state Act, which is why fees, renewal cycles and CME rules differ from one state to the next. The council keeps the State Register, which section 2(v) defines as "a register maintained under any law for the time being in force in any State or Union territory for registration of practitioners of medicine".

What does a State Medical Council do?

• Registers doctors. Section 33(1) of the NMC Act says a qualified person "shall have his name and qualifications enrolled in the National Register or a State Register, as the case may be", and section 33(3) lets a registered doctor add a recognised additional qualification against their name.
• Maintains the State Register. Section 31(6) requires every council to "maintain and regularly update the State Register in the specified electronic format"; section 31(7) requires "electronic synchronisation of the National Register and the State Register".
• Verifies National Medical Register applications. The PIB release on the NMR portal of 23 August 2024 says each application "is automatically forwarded to the respective State Medical Council for verification" before the NMC issues the NMR ID.
• Hears conduct complaints. Regulation 8.2 of the 2002 conduct regulations says a complaint of professional misconduct "can be brought before the appropriate Medical Council for Disciplinary action", which holds an enquiry and hears the doctor.
• Runs renewal and CME where the state Act provides for it; see the CME credit entry.

State council or NMC: which one does a clinic doctor deal with?

Day to day, the state council. It issues the registration certificate, the number that goes on the pad under regulation 1.4.1, the renewal, and the no-objection or good-standing letters other bodies ask for. The NMC's Ethics and Medical Registration Board keeps the National Medical Register and makes the regulations the councils apply. The 23 August 2023 Gazette notification confirms that the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations 2002 are the conduct rules in force, adopted "as if the same have been made by the Commission". The list of councils, their websites and portals is on state medical councils.

What if a doctor moves to another state?

The NMC Act does not say in sections 31 to 34 how a doctor moves between State Registers, and the practice of transfer or additional registration is set by each council under its own Act. Ask the council in the new state what it needs; most publish the list on their site.

Where does the council show up at a small clinic?

On the board outside, where regulation 7.13 allows the registration number "including the name of the State Medical Council under which registered"; on every prescription, certificate and receipt under regulation 1.4.1; and in the renewal reminder the owner sets for each doctor who practises there. A clinic with a visiting consultant from another state checks that the consultant's own registration covers practice in this state, which is a question for the council.