The National Medical Register (NMR), which was introduced by the National Medical Commission (NMC) in August 2024 as mandatory, has been unable to catch the attention of newly graduated doctors. With less than 1% of the licensed and updated doctors registering on the NMR portal, the initiative was labelled a “failed attempt” by experts.
On August 8, 2025, while responding to a question in the Lok Sabha, MoS Anupriya Patel informed that the application for issuance of an NMR ID is voluntary. Lack of awareness about the relevance of NMR led to reluctance among qualified doctors to register at the NMR portal.
“NMC follows old and rigid guidelines for accepting registrations, which, under the guise of maintaining standards, slows down the process. Applications are often rejected due to minor data inconsistencies, mismatches, spelling errors, or name mismatches after marriage — even after the SMC has already verified the documents. Instead, NMC must introduce tech-driven solutions such as auto-verification, normalise social acceptance and simplify the process,” says the official.
Regularly updated NMR data could help policymakers, educators, and institutions in improving workforce distribution.
Most doctors prefer to register with the State Medical Councils (SMCs) and find the NMR registration redundant. Experts recommend implementation of stringent rules for its success, as NMR could function as an authentic record of qualified doctors, which helps in regulating the illegal medical practice, reduces quackery and increases the availability of specialised doctors in rural areas.
As on August 8, 2025, 11,200 applications were received on the NMR portal of the total 13,86,150 doctors in the country.
Dr. K V Babu, RTI activist and ophthalmologist, filed an RTI requesting NMC to disclose the status of NMR registrations.
“The RTI reply was not satisfactory. Out of the total applications received, 10,204 remain unapproved by the NMC, and one application was rejected officially."
According to Section 31 of the NMC Act 2019, NMR is mandatory, and the Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB) under NMC is tasked to maintain the register. However, no strict measures have been taken so far.”
The EMRB at present is functioning without the full-time President, which has been vacant since 2024.
Dr. Babu says, “Even if the Union Health Ministry makes the NMR registration process voluntary, it does not absolve the NMC and the National Medical Commission of the responsibility of creating a mess of the whole exercise by listing less than 1% doctors in a year.”
As per the norms, all doctors are required to register with the SMC where they intend to practice. In turn, the SMCs have the power to verify the medical professionals and send the list for national registration.
Dr. Dilip D Babshet, practising general surgeon in Mumbai, said, “Doctors are not registering because SMCs themselves usually neglect this procedure.”
He emphasised the need for a streamlined system to ease the NMR portal. Most doctors are unaware of it.
As a senior official from the NMC noted, “For successful implementation, the NMC should conduct nationwide awareness drives, revise guidelines and draft new and strict protocols to ensure all medical graduates register with the National Medical Commission and thus NMR registration must be mandatory. The updated list of faculty positions and doctors across medical institutions in the NMR number could function like an Aadhaar number and become a unique ID that replaces the SMC and MCI (now defunct) numbers.”
Experts also recommend linking NMR ID to government-created digital platforms to track doctors’ transfer, deployment and clinical roles.
“A verified and regularly updated NMR list will help healthcare planners, regulators, educators, and institutions in workforce planning, training, and improving distribution of doctors,” the official added.
