NMC advertising guidelines 2026: what doctors and clinics can and can't do

Short answer: on 6 October 2026, the National Medical Commission (NMC) issued new guidelines on advertising by doctors, clinics and hospitals, effective immediately. Doctors can no longer use patient testimonials, before-and-after photos, discounts or offers, "best" or "No.1" claims, influencer promotion or AI-generated promotional campaigns. What's still allowed: factual information (services, facilities, location, fees) and genuine health education. Breaking the rules can lead to anything from a warning to removal from the medical register.

If you run a clinic, a hospital or handle marketing for doctors in India, this is the most important change in years. A lot of what was common on Instagram and Facebook until last month, like patient video reviews, transformation photos and "flat 20% off" offers, is now clearly against the rules.

I've read the full official notice (13 pages) so you don't have to. Below is what it actually says, in plain language, with the clause numbers so you can check them yourself.

This is a simplified guide for awareness, not legal advice. Always check the official NMC notice and your State Medical Council before making decisions.

What are the NMC advertising guidelines 2026?

The full name is "Guidelines on Ethical Advertising and Public Communication by Hospitals/Medical Institutions and Registered Medical Practitioners". They were issued by the NMC's Ethics and Medical Registration Board through public notice No. R-13014/01/2024-Ethics, dated 6 October 2026, and came into force with immediate effect.

The stated goals include preventing the commercialisation of healthcare, protecting patients from misleading claims, and keeping healthcare communication informational and evidence-based. For doctors, they are read together with the IMC (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002 and the NMC Act, 2019.

Who do the new rules apply to?

• Registered Medical Practitioners (RMPs): every doctor registered in the National or a State Medical Register.
• Hospitals, clinics and medical institutions: for them, the guidelines are read with the applicable Clinical Establishments Act or state law, which wins if the two conflict (clause 4.3).
• Healthcare platforms that list doctors: they must follow the same norms and cannot sell paid rankings of doctors (9.4).
• Agencies, influencers and other third parties: using an agency or influencer does not remove the doctor's or hospital's responsibility for content they approved or paid for (4.4). Doing indirectly through a third party what you can't do directly is also not allowed (8.1 xi).

What counts as "advertising" now?

Almost everything with a promotional purpose. The definition (3.2 and 3.5) covers print, TV, radio, websites, blogs, social media, WhatsApp and Telegram, podcasts, influencer marketing, digital and search campaigns, sponsored posts, AI-generated promotion and online healthcare platforms.

Normal public information shared without promotional intent or commercial benefit is exempt (Explanation I).

What is banned under the NMC advertising guidelines 2026?

Here are the main prohibitions, in simple words:

• Patient testimonials and reviews for promotion. No asking for, sharing, buying or manipulating testimonials, reviews, ratings or endorsements (Explanation V, 8.1 xi).
• Before-and-after photos and surgical results, celebrity patients and personal success stories, except strictly scientific or educational use with anonymised consent (8.1 v).
• Superiority and exaggerated claims: "Best doctor", "No.1 specialist", "100% success", "painless treatment", "guaranteed cure", "miracle treatment" and similar (8.1 iii). Words like "best", "leading", "top" or "most trusted" are only allowed if objectively verifiable with a transparent method (8.1 ix).
• Discounts and inducements: limited-period offers, contests, coupons, gifts, cashbacks, referral benefits and free procedures that encourage unnecessary visits or tests (8.1 x).
• Fear-based marketing and ads that create unnecessary demand for procedures or tests (8.1 i).
• Soliciting patients, directly or indirectly, and self-promotion of personal practice (8.1 ii).
• Influencer and celebrity promotion of medical services through prohibited endorsements (8.1 xi).
• Endorsing products: doctors can't lend their name, photo or voice to promote drugs, devices or health products (8.1 iv).
• Referral payments: no commission, bonus or "lead-generation fee" linked to getting patients. Agency or influencer payments can't be linked to individual patient referrals (8.1 vii, viii).
• Fake engagement: buying followers, likes, reviews, comments or views, or manipulating search rankings (8.1 xii).
• AI-generated promotional campaigns for commercial interest (7.2), and using AI to create fake patients, testimonials or outcomes.
• Sharing identifiable patient data like names or faces (7.4).

Are patient testimonials and Google reviews allowed?

Testimonials for promotion: no. And patient consent doesn't change that. Clause 6.2 says consent does not, by itself, make a testimonial, promotional patient story, before-and-after image or success claim allowed.

Reviews: doctors and hospitals must not solicit, purchase, manipulate or publish fake or paid reviews, and Explanation V says a doctor shall not request or share patient reviews or testimonials for professional promotion on social media. In practice, that means no "please leave us a 5-star review" campaigns, no reposting patient reviews as promotion, and never buying reviews. Reviews patients leave on their own are a different matter, but don't use them in your ads.

Can doctors use AI-generated content?

Clause 7.2 is strict: AI-generated promotional campaigns for commercial interest are prohibited. Any AI-generated content that is otherwise allowed must carry a clear mark stating it was made with AI. AI can't be used to create misleading claims, fake patient images, voices or testimonials, or synthetic endorsements. Feeding patient information into AI tools must follow privacy and data-protection law, including the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.

Can doctors and clinics post on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube?

Yes, for genuine education. Doctors can take part in health awareness programmes, public health campaigns and educational content, as long as it doesn't promote personal practice, solicit patients or get monetised through promotional marketing (5.1). Talks on public health through TV, radio and electronic media in their own name are allowed (8.2 iii).

Two practical rules for every post:

• Disclose details: doctors posting online should show their name, qualifications, registration status and SMR/NMR registration number. Clinics should show the same details for the doctors in their posts (Explanations III and IV).
• Careful with the doctor's photo: using a doctor's photo is not permitted where it amounts to self-advertisement, solicitation or promotional publicity (9.2).

Can clinics and hospitals still run Meta Ads and Google Ads?

This is the big question for clinic owners, so here's what the text actually says.

• Hospitals and clinics may share factual, objective and verifiable information: name, location, contact details, departments, facilities, equipment, services, emergency services, accreditation and charges (8.3 i, 9.1).
• That communication must not include patient solicitation, inducements, superiority claims, guarantees or promotional portrayal of an individual doctor. The guidelines also say the form, medium or frequency of communication must not turn factual information into solicitation (8.3 ii).
• Individual doctors face tighter limits: no soliciting patients, no self-promotion of personal practice and no engaging third parties to market medical services (8.1 ii).

So paid campaigns that push offers, testimonials, "best clinic in town" claims or fear-based messages are out. Factual, informational content about an institution's services is on much safer ground. Where exactly the line falls for paid ads will depend on how State Medical Councils apply the rules, and on any clarifications the NMC issues (it has the power to, under clause 12). Check with your State Medical Council or a legal adviser before running paid healthcare campaigns.

Meta and Google also have their own healthcare ad policies on top of this. My earlier guide on Meta Ads vs Google Ads for clinics in Kerala has been updated to reflect these rules.

What is still allowed?

• Factual information about services, departments, facilities, equipment and accreditation, without superiority claims (Explanation II, 8.3)
• Transparent, factual disclosure of fees, charges and packages (8.1 x)
• A hospital website directory of doctors with names, qualifications, specialities, registration details and availability (9.1)
• Genuine health education and awareness content (5.1, 8.2 iii)
• Health education pamphlets for patients visiting the clinic, without cure guarantees or superiority claims (8.2 iv)
• Formal announcements: starting practice, change of address or type of practice, temporary absence, resumption of practice, and public declaration of fees (8.2 ii, 9.3)
• Research case studies published in reputed medical journals (8.2 i)
• Greetings on national days, without advertising professional gains (8.2 v)
• Government health programme campaigns are exempt (Explanation under 7.3)

NMC advertising penalties

For doctors, the State Medical Council may take graded action (10.1), after a show-cause notice and a chance to explain (10.2):

Doctors can appeal to the NMC's Ethics and Medical Registration Board within 60 days (11.1). Hospitals and clinics are dealt with under the applicable Clinical Establishments Act or state law, and a doctor who approved the content can be examined separately (11.5).

If a post is trying to bring in patients rather than inform them, assume it needs a second look.

A quick compliance checklist for clinics

1. Remove patient testimonial videos, review screenshots and "patient stories" from your website, Instagram, Facebook and Google Business Profile posts.
2. Remove before-and-after photos and result showcases.
3. Delete words like "best", "No.1", "top", "100% success", "painless" and "guaranteed" from ads, bios and banners.
4. Stop running discounts, limited-time offers, free camps used as promotion, coupons and referral rewards.
5. Stop influencer and celebrity promotions of your services.
6. Add the doctor's name, qualifications and SMR/NMR registration number to every post that features them.
7. Check any AI-made content: no AI promotional campaigns, and label permitted AI content clearly.
8. Check your agency contract: payment must not be tied to the number of patients or leads referred.
9. Don't ask patients to leave reviews as part of a promotion, and never buy reviews or followers.
10. Shift your content to genuine education: explain conditions, prevention and when to see a doctor, without pushing your clinic.

What this means for marketers and agencies

For those of us who market healthcare brands, the job is changing from "get more leads" to "help people make informed decisions". Clause 4.4 makes it clear that the doctor or hospital stays responsible for what their agency publishes, so a careless campaign can put your client's registration at risk.

The good news: honest, educational content still works. It builds trust, helps with SEO and AI search, and it's exactly what the guidelines encourage. If you're unsure whether your current marketing fits the new rules, I can review it with you in a consultation.

FAQ

Source

• National Medical Commission, Ethics & Medical Registration Board, Public Notice No. R-13014/01/2024-Ethics dated 06/10/2026: Guidelines on Ethical Advertising and Public Communication by Hospitals/Medical Institutions and Registered Medical Practitioners (PDF)