Short title
These Guidelines may be called the "Guidelines on Ethical Advertising and Public Communication by hospitals/medical institutions and Registered Medical Practitioners (hereinafter referred to as Guidelines)
The guidelines
NMC Guidelines on Ethical Advertising and Public Communication
Guidelines on Ethical Advertising and Public Communication by Hospitals/Medical Institutions and Registered Medical Practitioners.
- Issued by
- National Medical Commission — Ethics & Medical Registration Board
- Reference
- No. R-13014/01/2024-Ethics
- Dated
- · With immediate effect
Objectives
- Preserve dignity of the medical profession.
- Prevent commercialization of health care.
- Protect patient interest and prevent misleading medical claims.
- Ensure healthcare communication remains informational, ethical and evidence-based.
- Align hospital advertising practices with professional standards applicable to Registered Medical Practitioners.
- Promote transparency while discouraging commercialization of medical care, regulate digital healthcare promotion.
- Ensure ethical parity across all systems of medicine etc.
Clause text is reproduced verbatim from the public notice; the short clause titles and the Prohibition / Exemption labels are ours, to help you scan. Always rely on the official notice on nmc.org.in.
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Short Title, Preamble and Objectives
1Short Title and Commencement
2Preamble and Objectives
Purpose of the Guidelines
These Guidelines are framed to regulate advertisements and digital communications relating to medical practice and healthcare services in an ethical, truthful, transparent and responsible manner. They aim to protect patients and the public from misleading or unsubstantiated claims, safeguard patient privacy and autonomy, and uphold the dignity and integrity of the medical profession. a) provide a contemporary framework for ethical, truthful, transparent and responsible regulation of advertisements and promotional communications relating to medical practice and healthcare services; b) safeguard patients, the public and public health by preventing false, misleading, exaggerated, deceptive or unsubstantiated medical claims and ensuring that information disseminated by Registered Medical Practitioners (RMPs) and medical institutions is factual, accurate, transparent and capable of verification; c) prevent direct or indirect solicitation of patients and commercial promotion that may induce unnecessary investigations, treatments or medical procedures; d) regulate advertisements and promotional communications disseminated through digital and emerging technologies; e) uphold patient autonomy and privacy and maintain the dignity, integrity and ethical standards of the medical profession; and f) provide an operational framework consistent with the National Medical Commission Act, 2019, the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002, as applicable, and other applicable laws, rules and regulations, without altering, overriding or derogating from any existing statutory or regulatory requirement.
No permission for prohibited acts
Nothing contained in these Guidelines shall be construed as permitting any act which is prohibited under the applicable law or the aforesaid Regulations.
Chapter I — Preliminary
3Definitions
Definition — "Act"
"Act" means the National Medical Commission Act, 2019 (Section 30 of 2019).
Definition — "Advertisement" (incl. digital, influencer and AI content)
"Advertisement" mean any form of communication, promotion, publicity, announcement, representation or dissemination of information in any medium, which directly or indirectly solicits, promotes or is intended to promote the professional services, reputation, skills, qualifications, achievements, facilities or commercial healthcare services of an RMP or hospital/medical institution. For the purposes of these Guidelines, digital, social-media, sponsored, targeted, influencer-led, search-engine, platform-based, audio-visual, AI-generated or AI-assisted promotional communications shall be treated as advertising where their content or manner of dissemination has a promotional character.
Explanation I — Non-promotional public information is exempt
The discourse of information in the normal course of discharge of information to the public at large, without same being promotional and without any intent for commercial benefit shall be exempted from the above definition of "Advertisement".
Explanation II — Equipment / technology / facility information must stay factual
Information regarding availability or installation of equipment, technology, diagnostic facilities or services may be disseminated as factual information, provided that such communication does not contain claims of superiority, guaranteed accuracy, guaranteed outcomes, comparative claims or other misleading or unverifiable representations.
Explanation III — RMP electronic-media posts must disclose identity & registration
RMP while publishing any Electronic media posts should transparently disclose their name, qualifications, registration status and SMR/NMR Registration number.
Explanation IV — Clinical establishments' electronic-media posts must disclose RMP details
Clinical Establishments while publishing any Electronic media posts should transparently disclose the names of the RMP with qualifications, registration status and SMR/NMR Registration number.
Explanation V — No fake/paid reviews; RMPs must not request or share patient testimonials
No RMP or hospital/medical institution shall solicit, purchase, procure, manipulate or cause to be published fake, paid or misleading patient reviews, ratings, testimonials, endorsements or recommendations for the promotion of medical services. An RMP shall not request or share patient testimonials, recommendations, endorsements or reviews for professional promotion on social media.
Definition — "Artificial Intelligence" / "AI"
"Artificial Intelligence" or "AI" means a self-learning automated process, program, machine or computer built for doing task which usually require human brain.
Definition — "Hospital/Medical Institution"
"Hospital/Medical Institution" means a clinical establishment providing facilities and services for the diagnosis, treatment or care of illness, injury, deformity, abnormality or pregnancy, where patients may be admitted and treated as in-patients or treated as out-patients, in any recognised system of medicine, and includes an institution covered under Section 2(c)(i) of the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010/ any other State Act as applicable.
Definition — "Medium of advertisement"
"Medium of advertisement" means and includes but is not limited to print media, Television, Radio, Social media platforms, websites and blogs, messaging platforms (WhatsApp, Telegrams, Facebook etc.), Podcasts, Influencer marketing, Digital marketing campaigns, sponsored posts, artificial intelligence generated promotion, public interviews, news articles intended for promotion, online healthcare platforms, any audio-visual or digital communication by whatsoever name called.
Definition — "Social Media"
"Social Media" shall mean and include all forms of publications and sharing through internet-based websites, apps, etc. by whatsoever name called, which allows users to create, share and join online communities, participate in social networking, etc.
Definition — "Registered Medical Practitioners" / "RMP(s)"
"Registered Medical Practitioners" or "RMP(s)" shall mean and include the Medical Practitioners registered under the NMC Act and whose names are either entered in the National Register under section 31 of the NMC Act or in the concerned State Medical Register.
4Scope & Applicability
Applies to RMPs' advertising, publicity, digital communication and promotion
These Guidelines shall apply to the professional conduct of the RMPs in relation to advertising, publicity, digital communication and promotional activities and to address the gap created due to advent of electronic media. These Guidelines are sought to be more comprehensive, specific and aligned to the needs of the present-day society.
Read with IMC Regulations 2002 and NMC Act 2019
In relation to RMPs, these Guidelines shall be read with the IMC (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002, as amended from time to time, and the NMC Act, 2019. In case of any irreconcilable conflict, the applicable statutory provisions and operative regulations shall prevail.
Hospitals read with the Clinical Establishment Act / State Act
For Hospitals/ Medical Institutions, these guidelines shall be read in conjunction with the applicable Clinical Establishment Act or Rules framed thereunder/ any other State Act as applicable and in case of any irreconcilable conflict between the two, the provisions of the applicable Clinical Establishment Act or Rules framed thereunder/ any other State Act as applicable shall override the provisions of these Guidelines.
Agencies, influencers and platforms do not absolve responsibility
The fact that an advertisement or promotional communication is published through a digital platform, third party, advertising agency, influencer or other intermediary shall not, by itself, absolve an RMP or medical institution from responsibility for content which it has authorized, commissioned, sponsored, adopted or knowingly permitted. The disciplinary or statutory consequences shall, however, be determined by the competent authority under the applicable law.
5Public Awareness: Public health education
Health awareness allowed only if it does not promote practice, solicit or monetize
Medical Practitioners may participate in health awareness programmers, public health campaigns, academic discussions, educational content, provided that such activities do not promote personal practice, do not solicit patients and are not monetized through promotional marketing.
Hoardings/billboards only for factual infrastructure/facility information
Hoardings/Billboards in public space that are let out by concerned municipal or other authorities like state transport authority, railways, airports etc., may be used by hospitals/medical institutions and RMPs only for dissemination of factual information in the nature of infrastructure, facilities etc. Unverified or unverifiable claims shall be construed as for furtherance of commercial gains, and are prohibited.
6Patient Privacy and Consent
No patient information, photos, videos, records or testimonials in ads without lawful consent
Patient information, photographs, videos, medical records, clinical images, treatment details, testimonials or other identifiable information shall not be used for advertising purposes except where such use is permitted by applicable law and the necessary consent and other safeguards have been duly complied with.
Patient consent does not make prohibited testimonials / before-after / success claims permissible
Patient consent shall not, by itself, make permissible any testimonial, endorsement, promotional patient story, before-and-after depiction, success claim or other advertising practice that is otherwise prohibited under these Guidelines or applicable law.
Consent must be specific, informed, voluntary, documented and verifiable
Where consent is legally required, it shall be specific, informed, voluntary, documented and capable of verification, and shall comply with applicable privacy and data-protection law. The form and mode of recording consent shall be determined in accordance with the applicable law and the nature and purpose of the proposed use.
De-identify patients: avoid names; crop/blur/black out identifying marks
Even where disclosure is lawfully permitted, reasonable safeguards shall be adopted by the hospital/medical institution and RMP shall be duty bound to prevent unnecessary disclosure of names or to crop, blur, black out, birth marks/ identification marks, or other information through which the patient may be identified.
Chapter II — Prohibition and Exemption
7Prohibited Advertising Practices for RMP / Clinical Establishments
Use social media responsibly with patient integrity and professional ethics
RMP/ Clinical Establishments should use the social media in the most responsible manner and with the sole intention to balance public dissemination of information with utmost enforcement of patient integrity along with stringent adherence to professional ethics.
AI-generated commercial promotion prohibited; permitted AI content must carry an "AI" source mark
AI Generated promotional campaign for furtherance of commercial interest is prohibited. Any AI generated promotional content conforming to the provisions of these guidelines, the Regulations, and applicable Clinical Establishment Act and rules framed thereunder/ any other State Act as applicable, shall compulsorily carry the source mark, explicitly stating that the origin of the content is AI.
AI must not be used for misleading representations
AI-generated or AI-assisted content shall not be used by an RMP or hospital/medical institution to create or disseminate misleading, deceptive or unverifiable representations concerning diagnosis, treatment, clinical outcomes, professional qualifications, patient experiences or healthcare services.
No AI-created/manipulated patient images, testimonials, voices, outcomes or synthetic endorsements
AI shall not be used to create or manipulate a patient's image, testimonial, voice or clinical outcome, or to create a synthetic endorsement or representation purporting to be that of an actual patient, RMP or other person.
Disclose AI-generated or materially AI-altered content
Where AI-generated or materially AI-altered content is used in a manner in which its artificial nature may reasonably be material to the audience's understanding of the communication, appropriate disclosure shall be made.
Patient data used as AI input must meet privacy & ethics requirements
Any use of patient information as input for an AI system shall comply with applicable privacy, confidentiality, data-protection and professional-ethics requirements.
Prohibited practices governed by Chapter III
The prohibited practices relating to advertising, publicity, solicitation, endorsements, testimonials, patient images, misleading claims and digital manipulation shall be governed by Chapter III of these Guidelines. RMPs and clinical establishments shall also comply with the specific requirements relating to patient privacy, digital communication and AI contained in pre-paras of this Chapter.
Explanation — Government programme/scheme campaigns are exempt
All campaigns on programmes/schemes of Government of India and the state Governments, which are in larger public interest, shall be exempted from these guidelines.
Do not share identifiable patient data (names, faces, anomalies)
RMP/ Clinical establishment shall not share any patient data, such as names, faces, anomalies, etc., which can be identified publicly.
Live surgery broadcasts / commercial dissemination of procedures
Nothing in these Guidelines shall be construed as permitting the live broadcast or commercial dissemination of surgical or clinical procedures in a manner inconsistent with the applicable NMC guidelines, directions or advisories relating to live surgery broadcasts. Any live surgery broadcast shall comply with the applicable NMC framework governing patient safety, consent, privacy, educational purpose, sponsorship, commercialization and professional conduct.
Comply with IT Act 2000 and DPDP Act 2023 (& Rules 2025) for personal data
Advertisement under these Guidelines involving processing, publication, storage, disclosure or other use of digital personal data shall comply with the provision of Information Technology Act, 2000; Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and Rules made thereunder in 2025, to the extent applicable and in force from time to time.
Chapter III — Responsibilities and Ethical Communication Standards
8.1Advertising Restrictions and Permitted Communications for RMPs
No unnecessary demand, unnecessary diagnostics or fear-based marketing
Shall not engage in advertisement/ activities intended to create unnecessary demand for medical procedures, promote unnecessary diagnostics and promote fear-based marketing.
No solicitation, self-promotion, third-party marketing or commercial promotional campaigns
Shall not solicit patients directly or indirectly, promote his/her professional services through self-promotion, engage any third party for marketing medical services, permit the use of their name, image, voice, testimonial or endorsement for promotion of services or any products, participate in promotional campaigns giving an impression of commercialization of medical practice.
No achievements, success rates, patient counts or claims like "Guaranteed cure", "Best doctor", "100% success"
Shall not advertise either personal achievements or professional success rates or number of patients treated with illustrative assertions such as "Guaranteed cures", "Best doctors", "No.1 Specialist", "100% success", "painless treatment", "Miracle treatment", "Exclusive cure" or any other unverifiable or exaggerated claims by whatsoever name called.
No endorsement of drugs, devices, health or commercial products
An RMP shall not give, directly or indirectly, any approval, recommendation, endorsement, certificate, report or statement concerning any drug, medicine, remedy, therapeutic article, apparatus, appliance, medical device, diagnostic product, health product or commercial product for use in advertising or publicity in connection with his/her name, signature, photograph, voice or professional status, whether or not monetary or other consideration is received.
No promotional case publication, surgical results, before-and-after photos, celebrity patients or success stories
Shall not publish cases for promotional purposes, advertise surgical results, display "before and after" photographs, publicize celebrity patients, promote personal success stories unless published strictly for scientific or educational purposes with anonymized patient consent.
No unrealistic expectations, misrepresented outcomes, concealed risks, unproven or secret remedies
Shall not publish any statement that creates unrealistic expectations, misrepresents treatment outcomes, conceals risks, promote unproven therapies, secret remedy or treatment whose composition, scientific basis, safety or efficacy is not adequately established or which is otherwise prohibited under applicable law.
No commission, rebate, referral fee or lead-generation fee
No RMP shall, directly or indirectly, offer, pay, solicit, receive or participate in any commission, rebate, bonus, gift, gratuity, referral fee, lead-generation fee or other consideration in relation to the promotion or advertisement of medical services, where such consideration is connected with the referral, recommendation or procurement of patients, specimens or materials for diagnosis, treatment, surgery or other medical services.
Agency/influencer/platform payments must not be linked to patient procurement
The engagement of advertising agencies, digital marketing agencies, influencers or online platforms shall not be structured in a manner that results in payment or consideration being linked to the procurement or referral of individual patients.
No "best", "No.1", "leading", "most trusted", "top", "unmatched" claims unless objectively verifiable; rankings/awards must be verifiable
No RMP or hospital/medical institution shall make comparative claims such as "best", "No.1", "leading", "most trusted", "top", "number one", "unmatched" or similar superiority claims unless the claim is objectively verifiable, based on a transparent and independently ascertainable methodology and is otherwise permissible under applicable law. Provided, Any ranking or award relied upon in advertising shall be capable of independent verification, and material conditions, methodology and relevant date, details of award giving organization or firm shall be disclosed where necessary to avoid misleading the public.
No discounts, limited-period offers, coupons, cashbacks, free procedures or other inducements; fee disclosures must be factual
No RMP or hospital/medical institution shall use discounts, limited-period offers, contests, coupons, gifts, cashbacks, referral benefits, free procedures or similar inducements in a manner that is likely to encourage unnecessary medical consultation, diagnostic investigation or treatment or otherwise amounts to solicitation of patients. Any lawful disclosure of charges, packages or fees shall be factual, transparent and not misleading.
No celebrity/influencer/patient/employee testimonials or endorsements; no intermediaries to do indirectly what is prohibited
No RMP shall use or permit any celebrity, influencer, patient, employee or third party to promote professional services through prohibited testimonials, endorsements or recommendations. Any material commercial relationship in lawful public-health or informational communication shall be transparently disclosed in accordance with applicable law. No RMP or hospital/medical institution shall use a third party as an intermediary to do indirectly what the RMP or institution is prohibited from doing directly.
No fake followers, likes, reviews, views or manipulated search rankings
No RMP or hospital/medical institution shall procure, manipulate or cause any third party to procure or manipulate fake followers, likes, reviews, ratings, testimonials, comments, views or other digital engagement, or manipulate search rankings, visibility or algorithms to create a misleading impression of professional standing.
8.2Exceptions from Prohibitions for RMP
Exception — research-based communication (case studies published in reputed journals)
Only research-based communication, wherein they have published interesting case studies in reputed medical journals shall be allowed.
Exception — formal announcements (starting practice, change of address/type, absence, resumption, succession, declaration of charges)
A medical practitioner is however permitted to make a formal announcement regarding the following : a) On starting practice. b) On change of type of practice. c) On changing address. d) On temporary absence from duty. e) On resumption of another practice. f) On succeeding to another practice. g) Public declaration of charge.
Exception — public-health lectures/talks in own name and designation, without promoting employer
Medical Practitioners may deliver lectures or talks on public health and diseases for public awareness through television, radio and electronic media in their own name and designation, without promoting their employer organization.
Exception — health-education pamphlets for visiting patients (no cure guarantees or superiority claims)
Medical Practitioners can issue health education and general information pamphlets/ brochures to the patients visiting their clinic/ hospital but these should not contain guarantee of cure or superiority over others or unsubstantiated claims or misleading information
Exception — greetings on national/medical days (no advertisement of professional gains)
Greeting on days of national importance or related to medical profession, etc. of National Day, etc. can be given by Medical Practitioners, however same should not contain advertisement of a professional gains.
8.3Hospital/Medical Institution Advertising
Hospitals may share factual, objective, verifiable institutional information
Hospitals/Medical Institutions may disseminate factual, objective and verifiable information concerning their name, location, contact details, departments, facilities, equipment, services, emergency services, accreditation status, charges and other institutional information permitted by applicable law.
Hospital communication: no solicitation, inducement, superiority claims, cure guarantees, exaggeration or promotional portrayal of an individual RMP
Such communication shall not contain patient solicitation, inducement, comparative superiority claims, guarantees of cure or treatment outcome, unverifiable or exaggerated claims, or promotional portrayal of an individual RMP. The form, medium or frequency of communication shall not convert otherwise factual information into solicitation or promotional self-aggrandizement.
Stay within the scope permitted by law and these Guidelines
Where advertising is permitted under applicable law, the communication shall remain within the scope permitted by such law and these Guidelines.
Chapter IV — Miscellaneous Do's and Don'ts
9Responsibilities of Hospital/Medical Institutions and RMP
Clinical establishments advertise only objective, verifiable particulars; doctor directories are informational
Clinical Establishments may advertise only factual information, where it is limited to objective and verifiable particulars concerning the establishment, including the name of the establishment, contact details, departments functioning, diagnostic facilities, emergency services, accreditation status, other facilities offered and applicable fees. A hospital website containing a directory of its doctors, containing the names, recognised qualifications, specialties, registration details and availability of its doctors, that serves a patient-information function; shall be regarded materially distinct from a paid or promotional advertisement or inducement.
No RMP photograph/image used as self-advertisement, solicitation or promotional publicity
Use of the photograph/image of an RMP shall not be permitted; where such use constitutes self-advertisement, solicitation or promotional publicity. In particular, use of self-photograph or similar publicity material on the letterhead or signboard of a consulting room or clinical establishment shall be governed by Regulations 6.1.1 and 6.1.2 of the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002, and regarded as unethical conduct.
Formal announcements must be factual, non-promotional and limited in scope
RMP can issue a formal announcement which are factual, non-promotional and limited in scope regarding starting of practice, change of address, change of practice type, temporary absence, resumption of practice, public declaration of consultation fees.
Healthcare platforms: comply, no paid ranking of doctors, transparent listings
All healthcare platforms hosting RMP shall ensure compliance with NMC ethical advertising norms, prohibition of paid ranking of doctors, maintain transparency in listing practices.
Chapter V — Regulatory Procedure for Oversight and Enforcement Mechanism
10Penalties / Corrective Measures
Graded action by the State Medical Council
In case of violation of the above guidelines, actions will be taken by the concerned SMC against the erring RMP in accordance with the provisions of the NMC Act and Regulations made thereunder. The following graded action may be contemplated by the SMC concerned; i. First Violation: Warning and mandatory ethics training. ii. Second Violation: Censure and monetary penalty. iii. Third Violation: Suspension of registration (3-6 months). iv. Serious Violation (Misleading cure claims, inducement for patients, digital mass solicitation, etc.) Suspension of 6-12 months. v. Repeated Violations: Removal from medical register for 1-3 years. Any violation of these Guidelines by an RMP may, where applicable, constitute professional or ethical misconduct and shall be dealt with by the competent authority in accordance with the NMC Act, 2019, the applicable Ethics Regulations and the principles of natural justice. The competent authority may, where legally permissible, impose such disciplinary or corrective measures, including censure, direction for corrective compliance/ethics sensitization, restriction or suspension of registration, removal from the register for a specified period or otherwise, and monetary penalty, as may be authorized under the NMC Act and applicable Regulations.
Explanation — hospitals dealt with under the Clinical Establishment Act
Hospital/medical institutions engaging in unethical advertising shall be dealt with in accordance with applicable Clinical Establishment Act and Rules framed thereunder/ any other State Act as applicable.
Show-cause notice before penalty
The penalties shall be imposed only after issuing a show-cause notice to the defaulting RMP and providing an opportunity to explain or clarify the alleged violation, in accordance with the applicable laws.
Reasoned and speaking order
Where an RMP is found to be in violation of these Guidelines, the SMC shall issue a reasoned and speaking order setting out: i. the specific violation identified; ii. the contentions of the defaulting RMP/ and reasons for acceptance / rejection of the same; iii. the reasons and basis for imposing the penalties.
11Appellate Mechanism
First appeal to EMRB, NMC within 60 days
Any RMP aggrieved by the findings or decision of the SMC may prefer an appeal before the Appellate Authority i.e, EMRB,NMC, within 60 days under Section 30 (3) of NMC Act, 2019.
Independent examination of appeal
The Appellate Authority shall independently examine the appeal and may, where considered necessary, call for the records and direct a fresh assessment, seek additional opinion, or undertake such further examination as it deems fit in accordance with these Guidelines.
Reasoned appellate order
The Appellate Authority shall pass a reasoned and speaking order, clearly recording the basis for affirming, modifying, or setting aside the findings of the SMC.
Second appeal within sixty days
The decision on the first appeal may be contested by the RMP through second appeal, in accordance with Section 30 (4), NMC Act, 2019, within sixty days of communication of such decision.
Hospital violations under the Clinical Establishments Act; RMPs can be examined separately
In case of any violation by a hospital or medical institution, the corresponding penalty and appellate mechanism, in accordance with the Clinical Establishments Act and the Rules framed thereunder/ any other State Act as applicable, shall apply. Where an RMP has personally authorized, participated in, endorsed or otherwise been responsible for the prohibited communication, the professional conduct of such RMP may separately be examined by the concerned State Medical Council, Ethics and Medical Registration Board or National Medical Commission, as applicable.
12Power to Issue Clarifications
NMC may issue clarifications, advisories and SOPs
The National Medical Commission may issue such clarifications, advisories, standard operating procedures or procedural instructions, consistent with these Guidelines and the National Medical Commission Act, 2019, as may be necessary for their effective and uniform implementation.