Doctors question the need to register again for National Medical Register

The National Medical Commission's (NMC) plan to create a National Medical Register (NMR) is facing criticism from doctors who question the necessity of doctors registering again for the NMR when their data is already available in their respective State Medical Councils. The Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB) of the NMC is amending the Registration of Medical Practitioners and Licence to Practice Medicine Regulations, 2026 to facilitate the creation of the NMR.

The NMR is intended to be a single, reliable national database to simplify verification of doctors' qualifications and registration status and to enable their practice across state boundaries. The system proposes linking doctors to a unique NMR identification number, connected to their State registration number. The primary dispute centers on whether the State Medical Councils should provide the data for the NMR's creation, or if individual doctors must apply afresh, pay a fee, and await EMRB verification.

The NMC Act, 2019, states in Sections 31(1), 31(6), and 31(7) that the EMRB must maintain a National Register of all licensed medical practitioners, and that State Medical Councils will maintain and update respective State Registers in sync with the EMRB. However, no provision exists in the NMC Act that obligates medical practitioners to apply for NMR registration.

The Union Health Ministry, quoting the NMC, stated in August 2025 that NMR registration is voluntary. Doctors argue that the NMR should be populated using verified data already held by State Medical Councils, and express their frustration with the complicated registration and verification process. Currently, only fewer than 32,000 registered medical practitioners have applied for NMR registration by December 2025, raising concerns about the practicality of requiring every state-registered doctor to individually apply for national registration.

Doctors also point out that they already pay substantial registration and licensing-related charges to their State Medical Councils, and the proposed NMR registration fee would add to their financial burden. Doctors have demanded the NMC withdraw the proposed draft amendment and instruct State Medical Councils to provide their data to the EMRB for NMR creation and to assign unique IDs to doctors.