Fact Check: Beware of Fake NMC link on social media asking doctors to register, Says State Medical Council

NOTE: Dear Readers, This is an old fact check based on MMC notice in 2023. In 2024, the Union government has officially launched the National Medical Register in the month of August, and doctors will have to register with the National Medical Commission Now

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Mumbai: Amidst the confusion of doctors to get themselves registered in the Indian Medical Register (IMR), the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) has now issued a clarification and informed that the National Medical Commission (NMC) has not yet provided any link for doctors to apply in this regard.

"It is further clarified that National Medical Commission, New Delhi has not provided electronic format or software to file the application yet, therefore till such time most of sections/clauses are not executable," MMC mentioned in the Public Notice dated May 25, 2023.

The clarification from MMC has been issued in the context of fake/viral social media information that claimed that old Registered Medical Practitioners (RMPs) are required to check the Indian Medical Register (IMR) and the IMR link has already been created.

"It has been brought to the notice of Maharashtra Medical Council that, third party message in news that old Registered Medical Practitioners (RMPs) are required to check Indian Medical Register (IMR) and Indian Medical Register (IMR) link has been created and circulated and making it viral through social media," MMC mentioned in the notice.

Referring to the issue, MMC added, "As per viral message Registered Medical Practitioners (RMPs) are getting into panic mode and searching for their Indian Medical Register (IMR) details and notice disparity in the Indian Medical Register (IMR) Data."

Clarifying that NMC has not provided any electronic format or software to file the application yet, MMC further mentioned that "therefore till such time most of sections/clauses are not executable."

Also Read: Finally, NMC Announces A Common National Medical Register for All Doctors

Confusion and panic among doctors have been created after the Apex medical commission implemented "Registration of Medical Practitioners and Licence to Practice Medicine Regulations". Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that in the recent Gazetted notification, NMC announced its decision of having a National Medical Register for all registered medical practitioners. The Commission had also mentioned how the doctors in India will now have a Unique Identification (UID) Number, which shall be generated centrally by the NMC Ethics Board.

According to Section 6(a) of the NMC Regulations, in order to get a licence to practice in India, the medical practitioners will have to make an application through a web portal of the Ethics and Medical Registration Board. However, doctors have pointed out that no such web portal has been notified as of now.

Meanwhile, in the notification, NMC has given only three months of time to the existing medical practitioners to update in the web portal of the NMC Ethics Board, while there is no such web-portal available till now.

Implementation of NMC Regulations on licensing and registration of doctors still in Process: 

Since the announcement, many doctors have accessed the NMC website and they got panicked when they could not find their names on the register link given on the website.

However, the issue of implementation of the NMC regulations is still in process and the same fact has now been reiterated by the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC). Referring to the Gazetted notification of NMC, Maharashtra Medical Council clarified, "Government of India gazette notification dated 10/05/2023 is self explanatory, Government has not given any modified directions in this regard."

MMC has confirmed that the apex medical commission has not provided an electronic format or software to file the application yet and pointed out that till such time most of the sections/clauses are not executable. It also mentioned that MMC has already sent the official data for updating in the IMR and the data updation is in process.

"As per practice Maharashtra Medical Council has send official data for updating in Indian Medical Register (IMR). It has been noticed that data updation is in process with National Medical Commission, New Delhi," read the MMC notice.

"Considering above facts, it is hereby appeal to all stakeholders not to rely upon fake/viral social media information," further mentioned the notice issued by Registrar of MMC, Sanjay Deshmukh.

Earlier IMA had written to NMC and pointed out that there are State Medical Councils in the country having their records in a digital format. Referring to this, the association mentioned, "The entire information of such State Medical Registers in one go can be transferred to the National Medical Register without compelling the individual Registered Medical Practitioners included in such electronic format to prefer individual applications for inclusion of their names in the National Medical Register."

Also Read: 15 Reasons Why IMA is Opposing NMC Regulations on licencing and registration of doctors