Medical regulator again proposes mandatory national register for doctors

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has proposed making the National Medical Register (NMR) mandatory again for doctors to register and obtain a licence to practise medicine in any state. The NMR is a centralised database for modern medicine practitioners in India. Two years ago, the NMC initially made the NMR mandatory. However, the centralised register failed to take off, and after about a year, the Union Health Ministry told Parliament in a written reply that the process was voluntary. Now, in the draft Registration of Medical Practitioners and License to Practice Medicine (Amendment) Regulations, 2026, the NMC has again inserted the requirement for registration and obtaining a licence to practise.