Over the last ten days, almost every doctor I work with has asked me the same three questions. Can I still post on Instagram? Do I have to delete my Google reviews? Is my agency's lead campaign now illegal? The confusion is understandable: the new NMC guidelines are short, but the rules that matter most are tucked into the "Explanations" under a definitions clause.
This guide walks through what the guidelines actually say, with the clause number for every point, so you can check it yourself. At the end you can download the full 22-slide checklist to keep and share with your clinic team.
What exactly did the NMC issue?
The Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB) of the National Medical Commission issued the Guidelines on Ethical Advertising and Public Communication by Hospitals/Medical Institutions and Registered Medical Practitioners through Public Notice No. R-13014/01/2024-Ethics, dated 6 October 2026.
These are guidelines, read with the IMC (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations 2002 and the NMC Act 2019. The 2023 RMP Conduct Regulations remain on hold, so the 2002 Regulations are still the operative code. For hospitals and clinics, the applicable Clinical Establishments Act or State Act also applies and prevails where the two conflict (clause 4.3).
There is no grandfathering. A testimonial reel or "Diwali offer" post from last year that is still live on your page is in scope today.
The one rule behind everything: inform, don't sell
Clause 3.2 defines an advertisement as any communication that directly or indirectly promotes a doctor's or hospital's services, reputation, skills or facilities. It then names the channels: social media, sponsored and targeted posts, influencer content, search engines, platforms, audio-visual content, and AI-generated or AI-assisted content.
The phrase to remember is "content or manner of dissemination." A purely educational reel is fine on your page. The same reel, boosted with money behind it and a "Book now" button, can become an advertisement that must pass every restriction in clause 8.1.
Would this post still help a patient if your name and clinic were removed? If yes, it's education. If its only job is to bring patients to you, it's promotion.
8 myths doctors believe about the new rules
| What many doctors think | What the guidelines say |
|---|---|
| Doctors are banned from social media. | False. Education, awareness and talks are expressly allowed (5.1, 8.2(iii)). |
| With patient consent, testimonials are fine. | False. Clause 6.2: consent does not make a testimonial or before-after permissible. |
| Unpaid product recommendations are okay. | False. Clause 8.1(iv) applies "whether or not" you are paid. |
| My agency posted it, so it's not on me. | No defence. Clause 4.4 covers content you authorised, commissioned or knowingly permitted. |
| Only new posts count. | False. Live legacy content is in scope from day one. |
| Hospitals can't list their doctors anymore. | False. A factual doctor directory is expressly allowed (9.1). |
| SEO and Google Ads are banned. | False. Manipulation, superlatives and misleading claims are banned (8.1(ix), (xii)), not visibility itself. |
| Publishing my fee counts as advertising. | False. Public declaration of charges is expressly permitted (8.2(ii), 9.3). |
The new rule every doctor must follow today
Explanation III to clause 3.2 says every electronic media post by a doctor should disclose four things: name, qualifications, registration status and SMR/NMR registration number. Explanation IV applies the same to any hospital or clinic post that features a doctor.
Registered Medical Practitioner
Tamil Nadu Medical Council, Reg. No. [XXXXX]
Add it to your Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube bios, every caption and video end-card, your website doctor pages and your Google Business Profile. Keep it to exactly these details: adding "20 years' experience" or "Gold medallist" turns it into a claim restricted under 8.1(iii).
What you can and can't do
Still allowed
- Condition explainers, myth-busting, prevention tips (5.1)
- Procedure explainers with risks and recovery
- Talks on TV, YouTube and podcasts in your own name (8.2(iii))
- Announcing a new clinic, address, timings or leave (8.2(ii))
- Publishing your consultation fee
- Health-day greetings with no offer attached (8.2(v))
- Factual new-equipment announcements (Explanation II)
- Case studies in reputed medical journals (8.2(i))
Now prohibited
- Fear-based hooks and pushing unneeded tests (8.1(i))
- Success rates and "10,000+ surgeries" counters (8.1(iii))
- Endorsing any drug, device or product (8.1(iv))
- Before-after photos and success stories (8.1(v))
- Hiding risks or promising unrealistic results (8.1(vi))
- "Best", "No.1", "most trusted" claims (8.1(ix))
- Discounts, offers, free consultations, cashbacks (8.1(x))
- Influencer promotions and testimonials (8.1(xi))
Specialties that relied on visual transformation content, such as dermatology, aesthetics, dental, hair transplant, bariatric and IVF, are hit hardest. The way forward is education on procedure steps, candidacy, risks, recovery and costs, which is both permitted and genuinely useful to patients.
All 12 prohibitions, with real examples
The free PDF includes a clause-by-clause table, a platform-wise guide and 6 before/after post rewrites.
Google reviews and testimonials: the biggest confusion
Explanation V to clause 3.2 contains two separate rules, and the second is wider than most people realise.
- For doctors and hospitals: no soliciting, buying, procuring, manipulating or publishing fake, paid or misleading reviews, ratings or testimonials.
- For doctors: a doctor shall not request or share patient testimonials, recommendations, endorsements or reviews for professional promotion on social media. This catches genuine, unpaid, grateful messages too.
In practice that means stopping review-request QR cards and WhatsApp links, review screenshots, patient video testimonials and review gating. Clause 6.2 closes the consent workaround: a signed consent form does not make a prohibited testimonial acceptable.
A patient's own unsolicited review on a third-party platform is not clearly addressed. Until NMC clarifies, don't request, reproduce or showcase reviews. If you reply, keep it courteous and never confirm someone was your patient or discuss treatment.
Working with agencies: ads, SEO and lead generation
This is the change I'm discussing most with healthcare clients. Clause 8.1(vii) prohibits any commission, referral fee or lead-generation fee connected with procuring patients, and 8.1(viii) says agency, influencer or platform engagements must not be structured so that payment is linked to individual patients.
- Pricing: move from pay-per-lead or per-appointment deals to a fixed retainer or fee per defined deliverable.
- Paid ads: ads should be institutional and factual, about departments and facilities, with no offers, fear hooks or promotion of an individual doctor (8.3(ii)).
- SEO: useful content and technical SEO are fine. "Best dentist in Chennai" pages, link buying, fake listings and keyword-stuffed business names are not (8.1(ix), (xii)).
- Listing apps: platforms may not sell paid ranking of doctors (9.4).
- Approval: keep written approval for every post. Under clause 4.4, using an agency does not shift responsibility away from you.
AI-generated content
Clause 7.2 is the first Indian medical rule aimed directly at AI. AI-generated promotional campaigns for commercial interest are prohibited. Any permitted AI content must carry a visible source mark stating it was generated with AI. AI must not be used to create or alter patient images, testimonials or outcomes, or to build avatars and cloned voices that pass as real people (7.2(b)). And patient information must never go into a public AI tool without proper safeguards (7.2(d), DPDP Act 2023).
Words to delete from your posts and website
Clauses 8.1(iii), (ix) and (x) name these claims directly. Run a find on your captions, ad copy, website, Google profile and Tamil-language posts.
Also remember the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act 1954, which bars claims that a remedy cures or prevents conditions such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease.
What happens if you violate the guidelines
State Medical Councils may act on a graded scale under clause 10.1, after a show-cause notice and a reasoned order:
Appeals go to the EMRB within 60 days under Section 30(3) of the NMC Act, with a second appeal under Section 30(4). For hospitals, the institution is dealt with under the State Act, and the doctor who approved the content can face Medical Council action separately (11.5).
Your 7-day action plan
- Day 1: List every channel carrying your name, and pause boosted posts and ads until reviewed.
- Day 2: Add the registration disclosure to every bio and caption template.
- Day 3: Remove testimonials, review screenshots, before-afters, superlatives and patient counters.
- Day 4: Withdraw offers and discounts; publish fees factually instead.
- Day 5: Stop product endorsements; review agency and listing contracts for per-lead payments.
- Day 6: Create a separate marketing-use consent form; keep patient data out of AI tools.
- Day 7: Brief your front desk and staff, start an approval log, and keep a dated record of everything removed.
The worst response is deleting your accounts. If qualified doctors stop publishing, patients are left with unqualified influencers. Honest, clearly identified health education is exactly what these guidelines protect.
Keep the full checklist on hand
22 slides covering every clause, a 7-question pre-publish test, and the other laws that apply.
Frequently asked questions
Can doctors still post on Instagram and YouTube?
Yes. Educational content, health awareness and talks in your own name are expressly permitted (5.1, 8.2(iii)). Self-promotion, testimonials, offers and superiority claims are restricted. Every post needs your name, qualifications, registration status and SMR/NMR number.
Can I share a testimonial if the patient agrees?
No. Clause 6.2 says consent does not make a prohibited testimonial, before-and-after or success story permissible. The only narrow exception is strictly scientific or educational use with anonymised consent (8.1(v)).
Can I ask patients for Google reviews?
Requesting reviews for promotion is barred for doctors under Explanation V, and buying, gating or manipulating reviews is barred under 8.1(xii). Replying politely to an unsolicited review, without patient details, is not what the rule addresses.
Is there a grace period to comply?
No. The guidelines came into force on 6 October 2026 with immediate effect, and old posts are not exempt. A dated log of voluntary clean-up is your best mitigation if a complaint arises.
Can my agency still run Meta and Google Ads for my clinic?
Yes, on a retainer or deliverable-based fee rather than per lead or per patient (8.1(vii), (viii)). Ads should be factual and institutional, without offers, superlatives or promotion of an individual doctor.
Do these rules apply to Siddha, Ayurveda and homoeopathy doctors?
This notice covers practitioners registered under the NMC Act. AYUSH practitioners are regulated by NCISM and NCH, and consumer protection and drug advertising laws apply to them as well, so the same principles are a safe standard to follow.
Sources
- NMC Guidelines on Ethical Advertising and Public Communication, Public Notice dated 6 Oct 2026 (PDF)
- Telemedicine Practice Guidelines 2020, MoHFW
- Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act 1954, India Code
This article is a marketing compliance guide based on the NMC public notice dated 6 October 2026, written for general information. It is not legal advice. Please read the official notice and consult a qualified healthcare lawyer for decisions specific to your practice. NMC may issue clarifications under clause 12, so check back for updates.