NMC advertising guidelines 2026: the compliance hub
Everything doctors, hospitals and their agencies need on the NMC Guidelines on Ethical Advertising and Public Communication, in force since 6 October 2026: what is allowed, what is barred, a free copy checker, penalties, a 30-day action plan, templates and every guide on this site, in one place.
The rules in four lines
At a glance: allowed and off limits
The short version of what changed. Each line links back to the detailed guides below.
✓Still allowed
- Factual, verifiable information: name, location, contact details, departments, facilities, equipment, emergency services, accreditation and charges.
- A doctor directory with names, recognised qualifications, specialties, registration details and availability.
- Health awareness and educational content that does not promote a practice or solicit patients.
- Factual announcements: a new practice, change of address, temporary absence, resumption and consultation charges.
- Public health talks in the doctor's own name, and case studies in reputed medical journals.
- Awards or rankings that are independently verifiable, with issuer, date and methodology disclosed.
- AI-assisted content that follows the guidelines, labelled as AI-generated or AI-assisted.
✕Now off limits
- Requesting or sharing patient testimonials, recommendations or reviews for promotion, even with consent.
- Before-and-after photos, promotional case studies, celebrity patients and success stories.
- Fake, paid or manipulated reviews, ratings, followers or search rankings.
- Guaranteed cure, best doctor, No. 1, 100% success, painless, and unverifiable comparisons.
- Discounts, limited-period offers, contests, coupons, gifts and cashbacks used as inducements.
- Fear-based marketing and content that creates demand for unnecessary tests or procedures.
- Endorsing drugs, devices or products, paid or unpaid.
- Commissions or agency and influencer fees linked to patients or leads procured.
- AI-generated promotional campaigns, and AI that fakes a patient's image, voice, testimonial or outcome.
- Identifiable patient details such as names and faces in public content.
Check your copy against the 2026 rules
Paste an ad, caption, landing page section, WhatsApp message or video script. The checker flags phrases that commonly break the NMC guidelines and the ASCI code, and links to the guide that explains each one. It runs in your browser; nothing is stored or sent.
A screening aid, not legal advice. It catches common patterns, not every risk, and cannot judge context. Have final copy reviewed by a clinician and your legal or compliance team. Want the detailed version? Use the full ad copy checker.
Penalties
State Medical Councils enforce the guidelines for doctors, after a show-cause notice and a reasoned order. Appeals go to the NMC Ethics and Medical Registration Board within 60 days. Hospitals face action under the Clinical Establishments Act or the relevant state law.
| Violation | Penalty for the doctor |
|---|---|
| First | Warning and mandatory ethics training |
| Second | Censure and a monetary penalty |
| Third | Registration suspended for 3 to 6 months |
| Serious, such as misleading cure claims, patient inducement or digital mass solicitation | Registration suspended for 6 to 12 months |
| Repeated | Removal from the medical register for 1 to 3 years |
Your 30-day action plan
What hospital marketing teams should work through first.
- Audit live content and remove testimonial videos, review screenshots, before-and-after posts and success stories.
- Stop review-request messages, QR codes and counter cards that ask patients to post reviews.
- Pull every discount, offer, cashback and limited-period package promotion; keep factual price lists.
- Rewrite superlatives: replace best, No. 1 and painless with specific, verifiable facts.
- Show the doctor's name, qualifications and registration number on every doctor post and page.
- Label AI-generated or AI-assisted content and stop any AI-led promotional campaign.
- Review agency and influencer contracts so no fee is tied to patients or leads.
- Update the approval checklist and phrase library, and train the team and agencies.
Guides by topic
Every guide on this site has been updated for the 6 October 2026 guidelines.
Visual summaries
Swipeable carousels for each topic. Open the slides in the guide or download the PDF to share with your team and agencies.
NMC advertising rules 2026: what doctors and hospitals can and can’t post11 slides · PDF
NMC rules for doctors on social media (2026): what you can and can’t post8 slides · PDF
Patient reviews after the NMC rules: what hospitals can still do6 slides · PDF
Before-and-after photos in medical marketing: the 2026 rules in India6 slides · PDF
Ad copy for doctors: compliant rewrites under the 2026 NMC rules7 slides · PDF
Google Ads healthcare policy: why hospital ads get disapproved7 slides · PDF
Healthcare influencer marketing in India: the 2026 rules7 slides · PDF
DPDP Act and hospital marketing: consent, ads, WhatsApp and CRM6 slides · PDF
International patient stories after the NMC rules6 slides · PDF
The compliance line in international patient marketing6 slides · PDF
Ayurveda and homeopathy clinic marketing: what the rules allow6 slides · PDFTemplates that fit the new rules
Copy-ready drafts written for the 2026 guidelines.
Update log
Rules and guidance change. This log records what changed and when this hub was updated.
- 12 October 2026Compliance hub and template library published.
- 11 October 2026Guides on reviews, doctor social media, before-and-after images, influencers, ad copy and international patient marketing updated for the new guidelines. Visual summaries added.
- 6 October 2026The NMC issues the Guidelines on Ethical Advertising and Public Communication, in force immediately.
Questions people ask
What are the NMC advertising guidelines of October 2026?
The National Medical Commission's Guidelines on Ethical Advertising and Public Communication by Hospitals/Medical Institutions and Registered Medical Practitioners, issued by its Ethics and Medical Registration Board on 6 October 2026 and in force immediately. They operate under the 2002 medical ethics regulations.
Who do the NMC guidelines apply to?
Registered medical practitioners and hospitals or medical institutions. Using an agency or an influencer does not move responsibility away from the doctor or hospital.
Which media do they cover?
All public communication: TV, radio, print, hoardings, websites, social media, WhatsApp and other messaging apps, podcasts, influencer and sponsored posts, online healthcare platforms and AI-generated content.
Can hospitals still advertise?
Yes, with factual and verifiable information: services, doctors, facilities, accreditation, timings and charges. What is barred is promotion through testimonials, reviews, before-and-after images, offers, superlatives and AI promotional campaigns.
Can hospitals ask patients for Google reviews?
No, not for promotion. The guidelines bar requesting or sharing patient reviews for promotion, and patient consent does not make it permissible. Hospitals can still reply to reviews and keep profiles accurate.
Can hospitals show prices?
Yes. Factual disclosure of charges is allowed. Discounts, limited-period offers, coupons, gifts and cashbacks used as inducements are not.
What are the penalties for doctors?
A warning and ethics training for a first violation, censure and a monetary penalty for a second, suspension for 3 to 6 months for a third, 6 to 12 months for serious violations, and removal from the register for 1 to 3 years for repeated ones. Hospitals face action under the Clinical Establishments Act or state law.
Is AI-generated content allowed?
AI-assisted content that follows the guidelines is allowed if labelled. AI-generated promotional campaigns for commercial interest, and AI that fakes a patient's image, voice, testimonial or outcome, are not.
Is this page legal advice?
No. It is a marketer's summary of the guidelines as reported. Check the NMC notice for exact wording and take legal advice on specific cases.
This hub is a marketer’s summary of the NMC guidelines of 6 October 2026 as reported by Medical Dialogues, MediaNama, The South First and Deccan Herald, read with the ASCI code and Indian consumer and data protection law. It is not legal advice. Check the public notice on nmc.org.in for exact wording before acting on a specific case.