NMC Advertising Guidelines 2026: A Practical Checklist for Doctors, Clinics and Hospitals

On 6 October 2026 the National Medical Commission (NMC) issued Guidelines on Ethical Advertising and Public Communication by Hospitals/Medical Institutions and Registered Medical Practitioners (Public Notice No. R-13014/01/2024-Ethics). They took effect immediately, and they cover your website, Google Business Profile, social media, ads and even WhatsApp. This article summarises what the notice says, clause by clause, and turns it into a practical checklist for doctors, clinics and hospitals.

This is a plain-English summary for information, not legal advice. Read the full notice and speak to your legal adviser or State Medical Council before making decisions.

Who the guidelines apply to

The guidelines apply to Registered Medical Practitioners (RMPs) and to hospitals and medical institutions (clinical establishments). For doctors, they are read with the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002. For hospitals, they are read with the applicable Clinical Establishments Act or state law, which prevails where the two conflict (clauses 4.2 and 4.3).

Dentists are regulated separately, by the dental regulator's own code of ethics. The ideas overlap a lot, but check the rules that apply to dental practice specifically.

What counts as "advertising" now

The definition is wide (clause 3.2). It includes any communication that directly or indirectly promotes a doctor's or hospital's services, reputation, skills or facilities. It explicitly covers digital, social-media, sponsored, targeted, influencer-led, search-engine, platform-based and AI-generated or AI-assisted promotion. The list of media (clause 3.5) includes websites and blogs, messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, podcasts, influencer marketing and digital marketing campaigns.

Genuine public information shared without a promotional or commercial intent is exempt (Explanation I).

What is not allowed

• Superlatives and guarantees. No "Guaranteed cures", "Best doctors", "No.1 Specialist", "100% success", "painless treatment" or similar unverifiable claims (8.1 iii). Comparative claims like "best", "leading", "most trusted" or "top" are only allowed if objectively verifiable through a transparent, independent methodology (8.1 ix).
• Reviews and testimonials. No soliciting, buying or manipulating fake, paid or misleading reviews, ratings or testimonials. An RMP must not request or share patient testimonials or reviews for professional promotion on social media (Explanation V).
• Before-and-after photos and patient stories. Not allowed for promotion, and publicising celebrity patients is also banned. The only exception is strictly scientific or educational publication with anonymised patient consent (8.1 v). Patient consent alone does not make a prohibited testimonial or before-and-after post acceptable (6.2).
• Inducements. No discounts, limited-period offers, contests, coupons, cashbacks, referral benefits or "free procedures" used in a way likely to encourage unnecessary consultations, tests or treatment (8.1 x).
• Fear-based marketing and advertising that creates unnecessary demand for procedures or diagnostics (8.1 i).
• AI-generated promotional campaigns for commercial gain. Permitted AI content must carry a clear "AI-generated" source mark, and AI must not be used to create or alter patient images, testimonials, voices or outcomes (7.2).
• Fake engagement. No buying or manipulating followers, likes, reviews, views, or search rankings and algorithms to create a misleading impression (8.1 xii).
• Celebrities and influencers promoting services through prohibited endorsements, or using a third party to do indirectly what is banned directly (8.1 xi).
• Product endorsements by doctors (8.1 iv).
• Identifiable patient data (names, faces and so on) in public communication (7.4).

Rules about agencies and payments

These matter if you work with a marketing agency.

• You stay responsible. Content published through an agency, influencer or platform does not absolve the doctor or hospital if they authorised, commissioned or knowingly permitted it (4.4).
• No pay-per-patient arrangements. No commission, referral fee or lead-generation fee connected with procuring patients (8.1 vii). Agencies and platforms must not be paid in a way linked to the procurement or referral of individual patients (8.1 viii).
• Individual doctors and third-party marketing. Clause 8.1 ii says an RMP shall not "engage any third party for marketing medical services". Get legal advice on how this applies to your situation, especially if you are an individual practitioner rather than a hospital.

What is still allowed

• Factual information about hospitals and clinics: name, location, contact details, departments, facilities, equipment, services, emergency services, accreditation status and charges (8.3 i, 9.1).
• A doctor directory on a hospital website listing names, recognised qualifications, specialties, registration details and availability. The guidelines say this serves a patient-information function and is "materially distinct" from promotional advertising (9.1).
• Formal announcements by a doctor about starting practice, changing address or type of practice, temporary absence, resuming or succeeding a practice, and public declaration of fees (8.2 ii, 9.3).
• Public health education: awareness programmes, talks and educational content, as long as they don't promote personal practice or solicit patients (5.1, 8.2 iii).
• Health information leaflets for patients visiting the clinic, without guarantees or superiority claims (8.2 iv).
• Factual disclosure of fees and packages that isn't misleading (8.1 x).
• New equipment or facilities as factual information, without superiority or guaranteed-outcome claims (Explanation II).

Doctors' electronic media posts must disclose their name, qualifications, registration status and SMR/NMR registration number. Clinical establishments must do the same for the doctors named in their posts (Explanations III and IV).

Practical checklist, channel by channel

Website

• Remove "best", "No.1", "most trusted", "painless" and "guaranteed" wording unless you can prove it with an independent, transparent method.
• Remove patient testimonials, video stories, before-and-after galleries and celebrity patient mentions.
• Keep factual pages: services, facilities, equipment, timings, fees, location and accreditation.
• Present doctors as a directory: name, qualifications, specialty, registration number and availability.
• Remove discount banners and "free consultation" offers that could encourage unnecessary visits.

Google Business Profile

• Keep the name, address, hours, phone, services and photos of the premises accurate.
• Don't run campaigns asking patients for reviews, and never offer anything in exchange. Google's own policy already bans incentivised reviews.
• When replying to reviews, never confirm someone is a patient or mention any treatment details.

Social media

• Focus on genuine health education without a sales message.
• Show the doctor's name, qualifications and registration number on posts.
• No patient faces, reports, cases or "success stories".
• If you use AI-generated content at all, label it clearly. AI promotional campaigns are prohibited.

Google and Meta ads

• Ads count as advertising, so the same rules apply: factual information only, with no superlatives, guarantees, fear-based copy or inducements.
• Make sure the landing page follows the rules too.

WhatsApp and SMS

• Messaging platforms are listed as an advertising medium.
• Appointment reminders and report-ready messages are communication with existing patients.
• Promotional broadcasts, offers and "health camp" pushes need the same care as any ad.

Your agency contract

• Make sure fees aren't linked to individual patients or leads.
• Ask for a written list of what will be published in your name, and approve it before it goes live.

Penalties

For doctors, the State Medical Council may take graded action (10.1):

• First violation: a warning and mandatory ethics training.
• Second violation: censure and a monetary penalty.
• Third violation: suspension for 3–6 months.
• Serious violations, such as misleading cure claims, patient inducements or digital mass solicitation: suspension for 6–12 months.
• Repeated violations: removal from the register for 1–3 years.

Penalties follow a show-cause notice (10.2), and there is an appeal route to the NMC's Ethics and Medical Registration Board within 60 days (11.1). Hospitals are dealt with under the applicable Clinical Establishments law (10.1).

Quick self-audit

Where Pocket Web Dev can help

We build and update clinic and hospital websites, doctor directories and Google Business Profiles so the information patients see is accurate, factual and easy to find. If you'd like us to go through your current website and profile against this checklist, get in touch. You can also read how we approach healthcare websites and online presence.

Summarised from the NMC public notice dated 6 October 2026 as read on 18 October 2026. The NMC may issue clarifications (clause 12), so check for updates.

Sources

• NMC Public Notice No. R-13014/01/2024-Ethics, 6 Oct 2026 (copy hosted by Medical Dialogues)
• National Medical Commission: circulars and notices

Written by Koushik Paikar

Founder of Pocket Web Dev, a digital marketing and web development agency in Kolkata. About us