NMC Ethical Advertising Guidelines 2026: What Hospitals and Doctors Can and Cannot Do

Published 8 October 2026 | Source: National Medical Commission public notice dated 6 October 2026

The NMC ethical advertising guidelines are now in force. On 6 October 2026, the National Medical Commission (NMC) issued its Guidelines on Ethical Advertising and Public Communication for hospitals, medical institutions and Registered Medical Practitioners, with immediate effect. If you run a hospital, practise as a doctor or manage healthcare marketing, this is what you need to know, in plain language.

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What are the NMC ethical advertising guidelines?

The guidelines set out how hospitals, medical institutions and doctors may advertise and communicate with the public. According to the notice, their aims are to:

preserve the dignity of the medical profession
prevent the commercialisation of healthcare
protect patients from misleading medical claims
keep healthcare communication informational, ethical and evidence-based
regulate digital healthcare promotion, including social media and AI

They follow a Supreme Court writ petition filed in 2023 and work alongside the NMC Act, 2019 and the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002.

Who do the NMC advertising guidelines apply to?

They apply to hospitals and medical institutions, and to Registered Medical Practitioners (RMPs) listed on the National Medical Register or a State Medical Register.

“Advertisement” is defined broadly. Social media posts, sponsored and targeted content, influencer-led promotion, search-engine and platform promotion, audio-visual content and AI-generated or AI-assisted content all count when they have a promotional character.

For hospitals, the guidelines are read together with the applicable Clinical Establishments Act or state law. If the two truly conflict, that law prevails.

What hospitals can do

Hospitals may share factual, objective and verifiable information about:

their name, location and contact details
departments, facilities and equipment
diagnostic and emergency services
accreditation status
fees and charges, shared clearly and without misleading

They can also announce new equipment or technology, as long as the communication does not claim superiority, guaranteed accuracy or guaranteed outcomes. A website directory of doctors listing names, recognised qualifications, specialties, registration details and availability is treated as patient information, not a paid advertisement.

Hoardings and billboards in public spaces may be used only for factual information such as infrastructure and facilities.

What hospitals cannot do

Guarantee cure or treatment outcomes, or make exaggerated or unverifiable claims.
Use comparative claims such as “best”, “No.1”, “leading”, “most trusted”, “top” or “unmatched”, unless the claim is objectively verifiable, based on a transparent and independently ascertainable method, and otherwise lawful. Any award or ranking used must be verifiable, with the awarding body and conditions disclosed where needed.
Use discounts, limited-period offers, contests, coupons, gifts, cashbacks, referral benefits or free procedures in a way likely to encourage unnecessary consultations, tests or treatment.
Use patient testimonials, success stories or before-and-after depictions for promotion. The guidelines state that patient consent alone does not make these acceptable.
Buy, manipulate or publish fake or paid reviews, ratings and endorsements, or fake followers, likes, views and comments.
Run promotional portrayals of an individual doctor in hospital communication.
Use a third party such as an agency or influencer to do indirectly what they cannot do directly.

What doctors can do

Make formal announcements that are factual and non-promotional: starting practice, change of address, change of practice type, temporary absence, resuming practice and declaring consultation fees.
Take part in health awareness programmes, public health campaigns and educational content, as long as they do not promote their own practice, do not solicit patients and are not monetised through promotional marketing.
Give lectures or talks on public health on television, radio and electronic media in their own name and designation, without promoting their employer.
Issue health education pamphlets to patients visiting their clinic or hospital, without superiority or unsubstantiated claims.
Share greetings on days of national importance, without promoting professional gains.
Publish research-based case studies in reputed medical journals.

What doctors cannot do

Solicit patients directly or indirectly, or hire a third party to market their services.
Run fear-based marketing or create unnecessary demand for procedures or diagnostics.
Advertise personal achievements, success rates or the number of patients treated using claims like “Guaranteed cure”, “Best doctor”, “No.1 specialist”, “100% success”, “painless treatment” or “miracle treatment”.
Endorse any drug, medical device, health product or commercial product in advertising, whether or not money is received.
Publish promotional cases, surgical results, before-and-after photographs, celebrity patients or personal success stories. Material published strictly for scientific or educational purposes with anonymised patient consent is the exception.
Create unrealistic expectations, hide risks or promote unproven or secret remedies.
Request or share patient testimonials, recommendations, endorsements or reviews for professional promotion on social media.
Offer, take or share commissions, rebates, bonuses, gifts, referral fees or lead-generation fees linked to patient referrals.
Use their own photograph or image where it works as self-advertisement.

The guidelines are clear that publishing through a digital platform, third party, advertising agency or influencer does not, by itself, remove responsibility from the doctor or hospital for content they authorised, commissioned, sponsored, adopted or knowingly permitted.

Agreements with agencies, digital marketing companies, influencers or online platforms must not link payment to the procurement or referral of individual patients. Healthcare platforms that list doctors must follow the same norms and must not offer paid ranking of doctors.

Doctors posting on electronic media must disclose their name, qualifications, registration status and SMR/NMR registration number. Clinical establishments must disclose the names, qualifications and registration details of the doctors they mention.

Patient information, photographs, videos, medical records and clinical images cannot be used for advertising unless applicable law allows it and the required consent and safeguards are in place. Where consent is legally required, it must be specific, informed, voluntary, documented and verifiable.

Even when disclosure is lawful, names must not be shown unnecessarily, and identifying details such as faces and marks must be cropped, blurred or blacked out. Doctors and clinical establishments must not share patient data such as names, faces or visible anomalies that can identify a patient publicly. Use of digital personal data must also follow the IT Act, 2000 and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.

AI-generated content in healthcare advertising

AI-generated or AI-assisted content must not be used to create misleading, deceptive or unverifiable claims about diagnosis, treatment, outcomes, qualifications or patient experiences. AI must not be used to create or manipulate a patient’s image, voice, testimonial or clinical outcome, or to build a synthetic endorsement that appears to come from a real patient or doctor.

Where the artificial nature of content matters to the audience’s understanding, proper disclosure is required, and AI-generated promotional content that is allowed must carry a mark stating that it is AI-generated. The wording of the AI clause is not fully clear, so cautious teams should avoid AI in promotional content until NMC issues clarifications.

Penalties for violating the NMC guidelines

For doctors, the State Medical Council may contemplate graded action:

First violation: warning and mandatory ethics training
Second violation: censure and monetary penalty
Third violation: suspension of registration for 3 to 6 months
Serious violations (misleading cure claims, inducement of patients, mass digital solicitation): suspension for 6 to 12 months
Repeated violations: removal from the medical register for 1 to 3 years

Penalties come only after a show-cause notice and a reasoned order, and doctors can appeal to the Ethics and Medical Registration Board of NMC within 60 days, with a second appeal available. Hospitals that advertise unethically are dealt with under the applicable Clinical Establishments Act and state rules. If a doctor personally authorised or took part in a prohibited post, their professional conduct can also be examined separately.

Grey areas to watch

Doctor-led hospital content: Hospital communication cannot include a promotional portrayal of an individual doctor, and a doctor’s photo cannot be used for self-advertisement. A factual doctor directory is fine. Promotional reels built around one doctor are the risky part.
Awareness content from hospital pages: Doctors’ awareness content is allowed if it does not promote them. How far branded hospital awareness content is covered will be clearer once NMC issues further guidance.
Packages and fees: Charges and packages may be disclosed if factual, transparent and not misleading, but offers that encourage unnecessary care are not allowed.
More guidance coming: NMC can issue clarifications, advisories and standard operating procedures to support implementation.

What hospitals and doctors should do now

Audit your website, social media and ads for guarantee, “best” and “No.1” claims.
Remove patient testimonials, success stories and before-and-after posts used for promotion.
Review discounts, coupons and offer-led campaigns for anything that could push unnecessary care.
Check that every post naming a doctor shows their name, qualifications and registration number.
Review agency, influencer and platform contracts so that no payment is tied to patient referrals.
Label any AI-generated content, and keep AI away from patient images, voices and testimonials.
Check your state’s Clinical Establishments Act, since it prevails if it conflicts with these guidelines.

FAQs on the NMC ethical advertising guidelines

When did the NMC ethical advertising guidelines come into force? The NMC public notice is dated 6 October 2026 and states that the guidelines come into force with immediate effect.

Can hospitals use patient testimonials in marketing? No. Patient testimonials, success stories and reviews cannot be used for promotion, and patient consent alone does not make them acceptable. Doctors specifically must not request or share patient testimonials for professional promotion on social media.

Can a hospital call itself the “best” or “No.1”? Only if the claim is objectively verifiable, based on a transparent and independently ascertainable method, and otherwise lawful. Claims such as “guaranteed cure” or “100% success” are not allowed at all.

Can hospitals offer discounts or health packages? Discounts, coupons, cashbacks and free procedures are not allowed when they are likely to encourage unnecessary consultations, tests or treatment. Charges and packages may be disclosed if the information is factual, transparent and not misleading.

Can doctors post health awareness content on Instagram? Yes, if the content is educational, does not promote their own practice, does not solicit patients and is not monetised through promotional marketing. They must also show their name, qualifications and registration number.

Are agencies and influencers responsible for violations? The doctor or hospital remains responsible for content they authorised, commissioned, sponsored or knowingly permitted, even if an agency or influencer publishes it.

What are the penalties? For doctors, State Medical Councils may apply graded action from a warning and ethics training to suspension or removal from the register. Hospitals are dealt with under the Clinical Establishments Act and state rules.

Final thoughts

The NMC ethical advertising guidelines move healthcare communication towards facts, verifiable information and patient dignity. Hospitals and doctors who adjust early will protect both their reputation and their registration.

This article is a plain-language summary of the NMC public notice dated 6 October 2026 and is not legal advice. Please read the official notice and consult a legal advisor for specific situations.

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