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Short answer: Two NMC documents govern doctor and clinic advertising in India today. The first is the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002, whose chapter 6 treats soliciting patients as unethical [3]. The second is the NMC’s Guidelines on Ethical Advertising and Public Communication, issued on 6 October 2026 and in force with immediate effect, which apply those regulations to websites, social media, WhatsApp and AI [1]. Under both, doctors and clinics may share factual, verifiable information and patient education that does not solicit patients. They may not post self-promotion, superlatives, success numbers, testimonials, before-and-after images, inducements, fear-based messages or AI-generated promotional campaigns.
Last reviewed: 24 October 2026 by the Sai Healthcare Marketing editorial team. General information for clinic teams, not legal advice. For your own situation, read the official documents linked under Sources and ask your State Medical Council or a lawyer.
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A post counts as an advertisement when it directly or indirectly solicits, promotes or is intended to promote the services, reputation, skills, qualifications, achievements or facilities of a doctor or hospital (para 3.2). Information shared in the normal course, without promotional intent or commercial benefit, is outside that definition (Explanation I to para 3.2). The 2002 Regulations already said that soliciting patients "directly or indirectly, by a physician, by a group of physicians or by institutions or organisations is unethical" (regulation 6.1.1).
The channel does not change the test. The notice lists websites and blogs, social media, WhatsApp and other messaging apps, sponsored posts, influencer work, online healthcare platforms and AI-generated promotion as media of advertisement (para 3.5).
Illustrative example (not a real client): a clinic drafts a Google post saying "Gurugram’s most trusted skin clinic, glowing results in three sessions, 20% off this week". Under the test it fails on superiority, an outcome promise and an inducement. A compliant version reads: "Our dermatology OPD is open Monday to Saturday, 10 am to 6 pm. Call the clinic to book a consultation," followed by the registration line.
| Channel | Do | Don’t | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Business Profile posts | Post OPD timings, holiday closures and new departments or equipment described factually, with the registration line. | Use offer posts with discounts or free check-ups, ranking words, patient photos or results, or posts asking for reviews. | Paras 3.2 (Expl. II, V), 6.1, 8.1; reg. 6.1.1 |
| Instagram and Facebook | Share condition explainers, warning signs and when to see a doctor; label AI-assisted content; put the registration line in the caption. | Post patient reels, testimonials or before-and-after images; pay influencers to promote; buy followers or likes. | Paras 5.1, 6.2, 7.2, 8.1; regs. 6.1.1, 7.17 |
| Clinic website | Keep a factual doctor directory; list services, facilities and fees in full. | Put superlatives in titles or meta descriptions; publish success rates or patient counts; host testimonial pages. | Paras 9.1, 8.1(iii); reg. 7.12 |
| Message only people who opted in; send timing changes, reminders and factual updates; keep reports out of broadcasts. | Send offer broadcasts that seek new patients; share chat screenshots; put anything identifying a patient in a status. | Paras 3.5, 7.4, 7.6; reg. 7.14; WhatsApp Business Policy [6] | |
| Review replies | Thank the reviewer in one neutral line and give the clinic’s phone or email for any concern. | Confirm the person was a patient; mention any symptom, test or treatment; offer anything for editing a review. | Paras 6.1, 7.4; reg. 7.14; Google contribution policy [5] |
Our reading of the review-reply row: confirming in public that a named reviewer was treated risks disclosing patient information the rules protect (para 6.1; regulation 7.14). That reading is ours; take advice if a reply needs to say more.
Doctors posting on electronic media should disclose their name, qualifications, registration status and SMR/NMR registration number (Explanation III to para 3.2). For clinics, Explanation IV asks clinical establishments "while publishing any Electronic media posts" to disclose the names of the RMP with qualifications, registration status and registration number. It is not limited to posts that name a doctor, so the cautious reading is to add the line for the doctor or doctors in charge to every clinic post, including a plain timings update. Use only recognised degrees (regulation 1.4.2).
Dr [Full name], [Degree(s) as registered], Registered with [Medical Council name], Reg. No. [number]
Place it in the post text, not only in the profile bio. If your State Medical Council tells you a shorter form is acceptable for clinic-only updates, follow that.
No doctor or hospital may solicit, buy or manipulate fake, paid or misleading reviews, and a doctor may not request or share patient reviews or testimonials for professional promotion on social media (Explanation V to para 3.2). Patient consent does not make a promotional testimonial acceptable (para 6.2). The 2002 Regulations also bar a doctor from permitting reports of cases or treatment results to be published (regulation 6.1.1).
The rules do not spell out whether a clinic may make a neutral, unpaid request at the front desk. The cautious standard reading is: do not run review campaigns, do not ask for reviews on social media or in broadcasts, never offer anything in return, and never ask only patients you expect to be positive. Keep the Google profile accurate so patients who want to leave a review can find it. Check with your State Medical Council before doing more. Google’s own policy separately bars incentivised and selectively solicited reviews [5].
AI-generated promotional campaigns for commercial interest are prohibited, and AI content that otherwise follows the guidelines must be marked as made with AI (para 7.2). AI may not be used to create or alter a patient’s image, voice, testimonial or outcome, and patient data must not go into AI tools in breach of privacy and data-protection law (paras 7.2, 7.6).
Where is the line between help and a promotional campaign? Para 3.2 already treats AI-generated or AI-assisted communication as advertising "where their content or manner of dissemination has a promotional character". The cautious reading: use AI only to help draft general education, label every AI-assisted post, have a person at the clinic check every fact before it goes out, and never use AI to produce offers, patient stories or ads aimed at bringing in patients. NMC may issue clarifications (para 12).
Most restrictions in para 8.1 are written for registered medical practitioners, while hospitals and medical institutions are limited to factual, objective, verifiable information without solicitation or superiority claims (paras 8.3, 9.1). The 2002 Regulations apply the soliciting ban to "institutions or organisations" too (regulation 6.1.1). State Medical Councils act against doctors; hospitals are dealt with under the applicable clinical establishment law (para 10.1). For a small Gurugram clinic run by one or two doctors, the safe working assumption is that both sets of rules apply to the same post.
Handing content to an agency, influencer or platform does not move responsibility: the doctor or institution remains answerable for what it authorised or knowingly permitted (para 4.4). Para 8.1(ii) says a doctor shall not "engage any third party for marketing medical services", payments to agencies or platforms must not be linked to procuring or referring patients (para 8.1(viii)), and the 2002 Regulations say "A Physician shall not use touts or agents for procuring patients" (regulation 7.19).
The rules do not define how a fixed-fee agency fits. The cautious standard reading: an agency may help a clinic keep factual information accurate (profiles, website facts, timings, fees) and prepare non-promotional education, all approved by the clinic. It should not run campaigns that solicit patients for a doctor, and it should never be paid per lead, per patient or per booking. Ask your State Medical Council or a lawyer before signing any marketing contract.
Listing platforms that host doctors must follow NMC norms and must not sell paid rankings of doctors (para 9.4). We compared Practo and Google profiles in our Practo vs Google Business Profile guide for clinics. For the wider order of work across Gurugram hospitals, clinics and labs, see our 90-day plan for providers in Gurgaon.
How we work: before we schedule any client post, we check it against the 2002 Regulations and the October 2026 notice, run it through a check for ranking and outcome words, and leave out testimonials, outcome claims and any patient information. The clinic approves each post before it goes out.
The notice sets out graded action that a State Medical Council may take against a doctor after a show-cause notice (paras 10.1, 10.2):
| Stage | Action the SMC may consider |
|---|---|
| First violation | Warning and mandatory ethics training |
| Second violation | Censure and monetary penalty |
| Third violation | Suspension of registration, three to six months |
| Serious violation (misleading outcome claims, inducements, digital mass solicitation) | Suspension, six to twelve months |
| Repeated violations | Removal from the register for one to three years |
Appeals go to the NMC’s Ethics and Medical Registration Board within 60 days (para 11.1).
The IMC (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002, read with the NMC Guidelines on Ethical Advertising and Public Communication dated 6 October 2026, which came into force with immediate effect. The NMC RMP (Professional Conduct) Regulations, 2023 were held in abeyance in August 2023 and are not in force.
Share factual, verifiable information such as name, qualifications, registration number, services, timings and fees, plus patient education that does not solicit patients. Avoid self-promotion, superlatives, success numbers, testimonials, before-and-after images, inducements and AI promotional campaigns, and include the registration line on every post.
The cautious reading of Explanation IV to para 3.2 is yes: clinic electronic posts should disclose the doctor or doctors in charge with qualifications and registration number. Check with your State Medical Council if you want to use a shorter form.
Yes, if the disclosure is factual and not misleading. Public declaration of charges is a permitted announcement (regulation 6.1.1; para 9.3), but discounts, limited-period offers and free procedures used as inducements are not.
A factual doctor directory is treated as patient information (para 9.1), but a doctor’s photograph is not permitted where it amounts to self-advertisement (para 9.2; regulation 6.1.2). The cautious approach is a text-only directory; if photos are used, keep them small, uniform and inside the directory only, with no slogans. Confirm with your State Medical Council.
No, not for promotion. Consent does not make a testimonial, promotional patient story or before-and-after image acceptable (para 6.2).
Yes. WhatsApp and other messaging apps are listed as media of advertisement (para 3.5), and patient information must stay private (para 7.4; regulation 7.14). Keep broadcasts to opted-in contacts and factual updates.
Disclaimer: This article is general information prepared by a healthcare marketing team. It is not legal advice and does not replace the official text of the NMC documents, your State Medical Council’s guidance or advice from a lawyer. Rules and clarifications can change; check the NMC website before acting. This article was prepared with AI assistance and checked by the Sai Healthcare Marketing editorial team.
Sai Healthcare Marketing editorial team. Last reviewed: 24 October 2026.
All links checked 24 October 2026.
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