Ethical communication for independent practitioners

Digital Marketing For Doctors In Kolkata, Built Around The NMC Rules

Q: Can a solo doctor hire a digital marketing agency under the NMC notice?

Take legal advice before engaging one. Clause 8.1 ii lists engaging a third party to market medical services among conduct a doctor must avoid, and clauses 8.1 viii and 8.1 xi raise related third-party issues. Do not assume that the doctor approving content, or signing a contract, makes every agency activity permissible.

Q: Can I publish educational videos under my own name?

Yes, if they are non-promotional. Clause 5.1 allows health education that does not promote the practice, solicit patients or earn from promotional marketing, and clause 8.2 iii covers public-health talks on electronic media. Show your name, qualifications and registration (cl. 3.2). Whether an agency-produced video fits needs review.

Q: Can I announce a new clinic or a change of address?

Yes, within limits. Clauses 8.2 ii and 9.3 permit formal announcements such as starting practice, a change of address, temporary absence, resuming practice and declaring fees. Keep the announcement factual, and avoid adding promotional claims, patient testimonials or language that solicits patients.

Q: Can I use patient reviews or call myself the best doctor?

Not as proof. Clause 8.1 ix allows "best", "leading" or "No. 1" only if objectively verifiable by an independent method, and clause 3.2, Explanation V, bars fake, paid or misleading reviews and says a doctor must not request or share testimonials for promotion on social media. Consent does not fix it (cl. 6.2).

Independent doctors need to know what they can say publicly without confusing patient information with self-promotion. The NMC's Public Notice No. R-13014/01/2024-Ethics, dated 6 October 2026, addresses solicitation, third-party marketing, public education and factual information. Clause 8.1 ii also addresses engaging a third party to market medical services, so the agency question needs legal review, not a blanket yes.

Medmatis is a healthcare digital marketing agency in Kolkata that builds its work around the National Medical Commission's 2026 guidelines. Whether an agency may market an individual doctor's services is an open question under clause 8.1 ii, so this page sets out the issue instead of promising anything. How we approach the rules.

New to the NMC rules? Start here →

The short answer

Doctors can share permitted health education and formal practice announcements. Self-promotion and third-party marketing raise restrictions under the notice and need careful legal review before any agency is engaged.

Updated 23 October 2026. Based on the NMC's Public Notice No. R-13014/01/2024-Ethics of 6 October 2026. Not legal advice.

What patients ask before they choose

How can I find accurate information about a doctor?The notice separates factual institutional information, including doctor directories (cl. 8.3, 9.1), from promotion. For an independent doctor, the right format needs review; do not assume every promotional personal profile is permitted.

Can I publish health education under my own name?Yes, when it does not promote the practice, solicit patients or earn from promotional marketing (cl. 5.1). Electronic posts must also show name, qualifications and registration details (cl. 3.2, Explanations III and IV).

Can I hire an agency to market my medical practice?This needs legal advice first. Clause 8.1 ii lists engaging a third party to market medical services among conduct a doctor must avoid, and clauses 8.1 viii and xi address related issues. Do not assume that approving the content settles it.

Can I announce that I have started a new practice?The notice permits formal announcements: starting practice, a change of address, temporary absence, resumption and declaring fees (cl. 8.2 ii; cl. 9.3). Keep it factual, with no superiority claims, testimonials or language that solicits patients.

Can I use "best doctor" in my profile?Only if it is objectively verifiable by a transparent, independent method (cl. 8.1 ix), and a self-written profile is not one. Focus on accurate qualifications, registration, speciality and permitted factual information.

Who is responsible for content an agency publishes?The doctor. Clause 4.4 says using an agency does not remove responsibility for content the doctor authorised, and clause 8.1 ii raises a separate concern. Take legal advice on the permitted scope before commissioning any work.

The NMC rules that matter most for solo doctors

These clauses decide what a solo doctor can publish. The agency question (cl. 8.1 ii, viii, xi) is a legal one, and the doctor stays responsible either way (cl. 4.4).

Not allowed Self-promotion and patient solicitationClause 8.1 ii bars soliciting patients directly or indirectly, self-promotion and engaging a third party to market medical services. That separates public education from promotional marketing for an individual doctor. Do not treat ordinary digital marketing as automatically permissible for solo practitioners.

Your responsibility Third-party agency involvementClause 8.1 ii refers to engaging a third party to market medical services, while 8.1 viii (no payment linked to procuring patients) and 8.1 xi (no intermediary doing indirectly what the doctor cannot do directly) address related points. How they fit together is unsettled. Take legal advice before commissioning agency-led promotion.

Allowed with care Educational content in the doctor's nameClause 5.1 allows health awareness and educational content that does not promote the practice, solicit patients or earn from promotional marketing, and 8.2 iii covers public-health talks on electronic media. The content should have a real educational purpose and carry the identification details from cl. 3.2.

Allowed with care Formal announcements and factual informationClause 8.2 allows formal announcements such as starting a practice, a change of address, resuming practice or declaring fees (cl. 8.2 ii; 9.3). Directories and institutional information sit under clauses 8.3 and 9.1. Keep an announcement distinct from self-advertisement.

Not allowed Rankings, testimonials and endorsementsThe notice bars unsupported comparative claims (cl. 8.1 iii, ix), promotional patient stories and before-and-after material (8.1 v) and product endorsements (8.1 iv). Consent alone does not fix a testimonial (cl. 6.2). Avoid "best doctor" claims, patient stories as proof and product endorsements.

Your responsibility Responsibility stays with the doctorUnder clause 4.4, using an agency does not remove the doctor's responsibility for what is published. Read it alongside clause 8.1 ii, which raises the separate question of engaging a third party. Do not rely on an agency's assurance as a substitute for legal advice and your own review.

What to publish, and what to leave out

Do

Separate public education from practice promotion
Verify identification details on electronic posts
Keep permitted formal announcements factual
Take legal advice before engaging an agency

Don't

Assume third-party promotion is automatically allowed
Use unsupported "best" or "No. 1" claims
Publish patient testimonials as promotional proof
Treat agency approval as legal clearance

How Medmatis works with solo doctors

01 Content Marketing We can discuss doctor-reviewed public education that explains health topics without promoting the practice or soliciting patients, once the proposed activity is confirmed to fit the notice. Explore Content Marketing 02 Website Development We can help identify where factual information, formal announcements and promotional claims differ. Any website work for an individual doctor is first checked against the third-party rule. Explore Website Development 03 Healthcare Branding We can help organise the details a doctor must verify, such as qualifications, speciality and registration, where the format and purpose are permitted. That does not make every profile allowed. Explore Healthcare Branding 04 Reputation Management We can flag problems in proposed copy, such as unsupported rankings, testimonials, product endorsements and guarantees. A content review is not legal advice. Explore Reputation Management

What we won't do

We will not promise solo doctors that an agency can freely promote their individual medical services under the NMC notice. Clause 8.1 ii raises a real concern about third-party marketing, and we will not resolve it by inference. We will not use unsupported rankings, testimonials or endorsements, or call our services NMC-approved. We never price our work per patient or per enquiry (cl. 8.1 vii, viii).

Read our guide to the rules and how we approach them.

Questions from solo doctors

Can a solo doctor hire a digital marketing agency under the NMC notice?

Take legal advice before engaging one. Clause 8.1 ii lists engaging a third party to market medical services among conduct a doctor must avoid, and clauses 8.1 viii and 8.1 xi raise related third-party issues. Do not assume that the doctor approving content, or signing a contract, makes every agency activity permissible.

Can I publish educational videos under my own name?

Yes, if they are non-promotional. Clause 5.1 allows health education that does not promote the practice, solicit patients or earn from promotional marketing, and clause 8.2 iii covers public-health talks on electronic media. Show your name, qualifications and registration (cl. 3.2). Whether an agency-produced video fits needs review.

Can I announce a new clinic or a change of address?

Yes, within limits. Clauses 8.2 ii and 9.3 permit formal announcements such as starting practice, a change of address, temporary absence, resuming practice and declaring fees. Keep the announcement factual, and avoid adding promotional claims, patient testimonials or language that solicits patients.

Can I use patient reviews or call myself the best doctor?

Not as proof. Clause 8.1 ix allows "best", "leading" or "No. 1" only if objectively verifiable by an independent method, and clause 3.2, Explanation V, bars fake, paid or misleading reviews and says a doctor must not request or share testimonials for promotion on social media. Consent does not fix it (cl. 6.2).

What is the difference between a doctor directory and self-promotion?

Clauses 8.3 and 9.1 treat factual information about hospitals and institutions, including a doctor directory with qualifications, specialty and registration, as patient information distinct from promotion. Do not extend that automatically to a personal website or promotional profile; the purpose, format and responsible party need review.

Does Medmatis work with solo doctors in Kolkata?

Medmatis can discuss the proposed work, but cannot promise unrestricted promotional marketing for an individual doctor. Clause 8.1 ii raises a specific issue about engaging third parties. We would clarify the intended activity and recommend legal review before deciding whether work can proceed. Our standards never override the notice.

These answers explain a public notice in plain language and quote its clause numbers. They are not legal advice. Read the original NMC notice and take advice on your own situation. Last updated 23 October 2026.

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