Plain-language glossary of the NMC advertising notice
The NMC Advertising Guidelines, Term By Term
Look up a word the notice uses, see the NMC’s own words for it, and read what it means for a clinic’s marketing, and what it does not.
This glossary explains 33 terms from the NMC’s advertising guidelines of 6 October 2026, from "advertisement" and "RMP" to "AI source mark" and "graded action". Each entry gives the notice’s own words, a plain reading, what the term does not mean and the clause number. It is a reading aid, not legal advice.
Updated 7 November 2026. Reviewed by Tamojit Lodh, Founder of Medmatis. Built around the NMC's Public Notice No. R-13014/01/2024-Ethics of 6 October 2026. Not legal advice.
Key facts, with sources
Hide the 4 key facts and their sourcesShow the 4 key facts and their sources
| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A plain-language glossary of 33 terms from the NMC advertising guidelines, each with the notice's own words, what the term does not mean and the clause number. | Medmatis |
| Source | Public Notice No. R-13014/01/2024-Ethics, issued 6 October 2026 and in force with immediate effect. | NMC notice of 6 Oct 2026, cl. 1.2 |
| Terms the notice defines itself | Six, in clause 3: advertisement, artificial intelligence, hospital/medical institution, medium of advertisement, social media and Registered Medical Practitioner. 4 have their own entry here, two (artificial intelligence and social media) are explained inside related entries, and every other term is explained from the way the notice uses it. | NMC notice of 6 Oct 2026, cl. 3.2 to 3.7 |
| What it is not | Not legal advice, and not endorsed by the National Medical Commission. Where the notice is unclear, the entry says so. | Medmatis |
What the notice covers
Who it applies to, and what counts as advertising.
Advertisement
Under the NMC notice, an advertisement is any communication, in any medium, that directly or indirectly promotes a doctor’s or hospital’s services, reputation, skills or facilities.
cl. 3.2Medium Of Advertisement
The notice defines the medium of advertisement very widely: print, TV, radio, social media, websites and blogs, messaging apps such as WhatsApp, podcasts, influencer marketing, digital campaigns, sponsored posts, AI-generated promotion and any other audio-visual or digital communication.
cl. 3.5, 3.6Registered Medical Practitioner
A Registered Medical Practitioner (RMP) is a medical practitioner registered under the NMC Act whose name is entered in the National Register or in the relevant State Medical Register.
cl. 3.7, 4.2Hospital / Medical Institution
The notice defines a hospital or medical institution as a clinical establishment that treats patients as in-patients or out-patients, in any recognised system of medicine.
cl. 3.4, 4.3, 8.3, 9.1Registration Number Disclosure
An RMP publishing an electronic media post should openly state their name, qualifications, registration status and State or National Medical Register number.
cl. 3.2Third-Party Intermediary
Using an agency, influencer, platform or other intermediary does not by itself take responsibility off a doctor or hospital for content they authorised, commissioned, sponsored, adopted or knowingly permitted. A third party cannot be used to do indirectly what the doctor cannot do directly.
cl. 4.4, 8.1 (ii), 8.1 (xi)Patients, privacy and consent
What can and cannot be shown or said about a patient.
Patient Consent
Where consent is legally required for using a patient’s information, it must be specific, informed, voluntary, documented and capable of verification.
cl. 6.2, 6.3Identifiable Patient Information
Patient information, photographs, videos, records, clinical images and treatment details that can identify a patient must not be used for advertising unless the law allows it and consent and safeguards are in place. Names, faces and identifiable anomalies must not be shared publicly.
cl. 6.1, 6.4, 7.4, 7.6Testimonial
The notice bars fake, paid or misleading testimonials, and says a doctor must not request or share patient testimonials, recommendations, endorsements or reviews for professional promotion on social media. Patient consent does not change that.
cl. 3.2, 6.2, 8.1 (ii), 8.1 (xi)Before-And-After Photographs
An RMP shall not publish cases for promotion, advertise surgical results, or display “before and after” photographs, unless it is strictly for scientific or educational purposes with anonymised patient consent. Consent alone does not make promotional use acceptable.
cl. 8.1 (v), 6.2, 6.4, 8.2 (i)Claims and promotion
Guarantees, "best" claims, fear, solicitation and endorsements.
Guaranteed Cure And Success Claims
An RMP shall not advertise personal achievements, success rates or the number of patients treated with assertions such as “Guaranteed cures”, “100% success”, “painless treatment”, “Miracle treatment” or “Exclusive cure”, or any other unverifiable or exaggerated claim.
cl. 8.1 (iii), 8.3 (ii), 3.2Comparative Claim
Claims such as “best”, “No.1”, “leading”, “most trusted”, “top”, “number one” or “unmatched” are barred unless objectively verifiable, based on a transparent and independently ascertainable method, and otherwise permissible under the law.
cl. 8.1 (ix), 3.2Ranking Or Award
Any ranking or award used in advertising must be capable of independent verification.
cl. 8.1 (ix)Unrealistic Expectations
An RMP shall not publish a statement that creates unrealistic expectations, misrepresents treatment outcomes, conceals risks, or promotes unproven therapies or secret remedies whose composition, scientific basis, safety or efficacy is not adequately established.
cl. 8.1 (vi)Fear-Based Marketing
An RMP shall not run advertisement or activity meant to create unnecessary demand for medical procedures, to promote unnecessary diagnostics, or to promote fear-based marketing.
cl. 8.1 (i), 2.1Solicitation Of Patients
An RMP shall not solicit patients directly or indirectly, promote services through self-promotion, or take part in promotional campaigns that give an impression of commercialisation of medical practice. Hospitals’ communication must not contain patient solicitation or inducement.
cl. 8.1 (ii), 2.1, 8.3 (ii)Endorsement
An RMP shall not give any approval, recommendation, endorsement or certificate for a drug, device or health product for use in advertising with their name, photograph, voice or professional status, whether or not they are paid. Nor may they use celebrities, influencers, patients or staff for prohibited endorsements.
cl. 8.1 (iv), 8.1 (xi), 8.1 (ii)Doctor’s Photograph
Using an RMP’s photograph is not permitted where it is self-advertisement, solicitation or promotional publicity.
cl. 9.2, 9.1, 8.1 (ii)Money, offers and third parties
Referral fees, per-patient payment, influencers and discounts.
Referral Fee And Commission
No RMP shall, directly or indirectly, offer, pay, solicit, receive or take part in any commission, rebate, bonus, gift, gratuity, referral fee, lead-generation fee or other consideration connected with the referral, recommendation or procurement of patients, specimens or materials.
cl. 8.1 (vii)Lead-Generation Fee
The notice names lead-generation fees among barred considerations, and says agencies, influencers or online platforms must not be engaged on terms where payment is linked to the procurement or referral of individual patients.
cl. 8.1 (vii), 8.1 (viii)Influencer
The notice treats influencer-led communication as advertising where it is promotional.
cl. 3.2, 3.5, 8.1 (viii), 8.1 (xi)Discounts And Offers
Discounts, limited-period offers, contests, coupons, gifts, cashbacks, referral benefits and free procedures are barred when they are likely to encourage unnecessary consultation, investigation or treatment, or amount to solicitation. Factual disclosure of fees is allowed.
cl. 8.1 (x)Paid Ranking Of Doctors
All healthcare platforms that host RMPs must follow the NMC’s ethical advertising norms, must prohibit paid ranking of doctors, and must keep their listing practices transparent.
cl. 9.4Reviews, search and AI
Fake engagement, search rankings and AI-made content.
Fake Reviews And Fake Engagement
No RMP or hospital may solicit, buy, procure or manipulate fake, paid or misleading patient reviews, ratings or testimonials, or procure or manipulate fake followers, likes, comments, views or other digital engagement.
cl. 3.2, 8.1 (xii)Search Ranking Manipulation
The notice bars manipulating search rankings, visibility or algorithms to create a misleading impression of professional standing.
cl. 8.1 (xii), 3.2AI-Generated Promotional Campaign
An AI-generated promotional campaign for furtherance of commercial interest is prohibited.
cl. 7.2, 7.2 (a), 7.2 (b), 7.2 (d)AI Source Mark
AI-generated promotional content that otherwise conforms to the guidelines must carry a source mark explicitly stating that its origin is AI.
cl. 7.2, 7.2 (c)What is allowed
Factual information, announcements and health education.
Factual Information
Hospitals and clinical establishments may publish factual, objective and verifiable information: name, location, contact details, departments, facilities, equipment, services, emergency services, accreditation and charges. A doctor directory with registration details is treated as patient information.
cl. 8.3 (i), 8.3 (ii), 9.1, 3.2Formal Announcement
A doctor may make a formal announcement of starting practice, a change of type of practice, a change of address, temporary absence, resumption of practice, succeeding to a practice or a public declaration of charges. It must be factual, non-promotional and limited in scope.
cl. 8.2 (ii), 9.3Educational Content
Doctors may take part in health awareness, public health campaigns, academic discussion and educational content, provided it does not promote their practice, solicit patients or earn from promotional marketing.
cl. 5.1, 8.2 (iii), 8.2 (iv), 3.2Penalties and appeals
What happens after a complaint.
Show-Cause Notice
Penalties for violating the guidelines can be imposed on an RMP only after a show-cause notice and an opportunity to explain.
cl. 10.2, 10.3Graded Action (Penalties)
The notice contemplates graded action by the State Medical Council: warning and ethics training for a first violation, censure and a monetary penalty for a second, then suspension, up to removal from the register for 1 to 3 years for repeated violations.
cl. 10.1, 10.1 (i), 10.1 (ii), 10.1 (iii)Appeal To The EMRB
A doctor aggrieved by a State Medical Council decision can appeal to the NMC’s Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB) within 60 days, and can make a second appeal within 60 days of the decision on the first.
cl. 11.1, 11.2, 11.3, 11.4Frequently asked questions
Are these the NMC’s own definitions?
Only some. The notice defines six terms itself in clause 3: advertisement, artificial intelligence, hospital/medical institution, medium of advertisement, social media and Registered Medical Practitioner. For every other term here, the notice does not define the word, so we explain how the notice uses it, quote its clauses and say where it is silent.
Is the glossary legal advice?
No. It is a plain-language reading of a public notice, written by a healthcare marketing agency. Where the notice is unclear, for example on review platforms, small clinics and agency engagements, each entry says so and points you to a medical-law adviser.
Where does the wording come from?
From NMC Public Notice No. R-13014/01/2024-Ethics of 6 October 2026. Each entry quotes the relevant clauses in the notice’s own words and gives the clause number so you can check it against the original.
What if the NMC issues clarifications?
Clause 12 lets the NMC issue clarifications, advisories and standard operating procedures. When one appears, we update the affected entries and the date shown on each page.
How can I check my own text against these terms?
Paste it into the free NMC advertising self-check. It highlights phrases tied to these terms and shows the clause for each. A clean result does not mean your page is compliant.
Wording is taken from the NMC's Public Notice No. R-13014/01/2024-Ethics of 6 October 2026. Our plain-language reading of the whole notice is in the guide.
This glossary is not legal advice and is not endorsed by the National Medical Commission.
Let us help your patients choose with confidence.
A focused conversation about your practice and what you would like to improve.