NMC rules target misleading digital marketing by doctors and private hospitals in Telangana

The National Medical Commission has outlined restrictions on misleading digital marketing by doctors and private hospitals. Practices such as unverified patient testimonials, exaggerated treatment claims and manipulated online reviews could attract disciplinary action, including fines, professional censure and registration suspension.

Hyderabad: Doctors and hospitals in Hyderabad and elsewhere in Telangana resorting to aggressive digital marketing, showcasing unverified patient testimonials, and exaggerated claims related to their private practice, will now have to face censure and disciplinary action, a recent notice from National Medical Commission (NMC) said.

Care givers who are repeat offenders, will face escalating penalties that include heavy fines, professional censure, and suspension of their registration suspensions of up to one year through State Medical Councils.

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To curb such unethical practices, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has suggested removal of the practitioner from the medical register for one to three years, effectively making it impossible for them to practice privately.

The sweeping enforcement mechanism was recently released by the Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB) of the NMC.

The new NMC rules have effectively put a full stop to the existing conventional digital marketing strategies across the medical community. The new rules establish an absolute ban on AI-generated commercial campaigns, influencer-led patient testimonials, and paid manipulation of online reviews or search engine algorithms.

Doctors and managements of private hospitals must now vet all digital content, ensuring electronic media posts transparently display proper registration credentials and state medical register numbers.

While factual institutional updates, emergency service directories, and peer-reviewed research remain permissible, the NMC bans exaggerated success claims, fear-based marketing, and ‘before-and-after’ promotional pictures of patients who underwent treatment.