Built around the NMC's ethical advertising guidelines of 6 October 2026
NMC-Compliant Healthcare Digital Marketing Agency In Kolkata, Built Around The Rules
Healthcare communication needs more than visibility. It needs accuracy, restraint and a clear understanding of the rules that apply to doctors and hospitals.
Medmatis is a healthcare-only digital agency in Kolkata. Our approach is built around the National Medical Commission's ethical advertising guidelines dated 6 October 2026. We focus on factual information, educational communication and clear processes, not promises of rankings, patient numbers or regulatory outcomes.
The guidelines apply to doctors and hospitals, not agencies directly. Doctors remain responsible for content an agency publishes on their behalf (cl. 4.4). No agency can guarantee that every activity will be accepted by a regulator.
Our position is simple: understand the rule, identify the relevant clause and review the communication before it goes live.
Medmatis builds its work around the NMC's 2026 guidelines. An editor checks every claim, the doctor approves content before it goes live, and our fees are never tied to patients.
What we won't do
Our work should be clear about its limits. Medmatis will not describe itself as NMC-approved or NMC-certified, promise guaranteed compliance, or guarantee search rankings or AI citations.
We will not present unsupported medical claims, invented results or fabricated testimonials as evidence. We will not position lead generation or advertising campaigns as Medmatis services.
Our commitments:
- No patient testimonials, patient stories or before-and-after material are used in Medmatis' own work.
- Agency fees are never tied to individual patients, enquiries or referrals.
- Medmatis never asks for, scripts or buys patient reviews.
- The doctor approves all content before publication.
- Every relevant claim is checked against the notice by an editor.
How each service works within the rules
Eight services, each set up around the notice.
NMC-compliant marketing by speciality
The NMC's 2026 notice affects each field differently. Each page sets out what a practice in that speciality may publish, what it may not, and how we plan our work within those limits.
Our review process
A responsible process should make the relevant rule visible before content is published. Our workflow:
- Understand the communicationIdentify the audience, purpose, channel and whether the material may promote medical services.
- Check the relevant clauseReview claims, images, testimonials, patient information, third-party arrangements and any AI-generated material against the notice.
- Flag uncertaintyEscalate unclear matters instead of treating silence as permission.
- Obtain approvalThe doctor or hospital reviews the proposed content before publication.
- Keep the record currentRecord relevant changes and revisit the guidance when the NMC issues clarifications (cl. 12).
The doctor remains responsible for content an agency publishes on their behalf (cl. 4.4). Our process is intended to support careful review; it is not a substitute for medical-law advice or a guarantee against regulatory action.
Eight questions to ask any healthcare marketing agency
Before appointing a provider, ask:
- Can you explain which NMC clause applies to a proposed communication?
- How do you distinguish health education from promotional content?
- How do you handle patient testimonials, reviews and before-and-after material?
- Do your search practices rely on genuine optimisation rather than fake engagement or misleading manipulation?
- Are your fees and third-party arrangements independent of individual patients and referrals?
- How do you protect patient identity and handle sensitive information?
- How do you assess AI-generated content against the notice?
- Who reviews content before publication, and how are unresolved legal questions escalated?
A useful answer should explain the process and its limitations, not promise that a doctor will never face a complaint or regulatory action.
Frequently asked questions
What is an NMC-compliant healthcare marketing agency?
The phrase describes an agency whose working approach is built around the NMC's ethical advertising guidelines. It does not mean the NMC has approved or certified the agency. Doctors remain responsible for content published on their behalf (cl. 4.4).
Does the NMC notice directly regulate marketing agencies?
The notice applies to doctors and hospitals, rather than agencies directly. However, doctors remain responsible for content an agency publishes on their behalf (cl. 4.4).
Is SEO allowed for doctors under the 2026 guidelines?
SEO as such is not prohibited. The notice bars manipulating search rankings, visibility or algorithms to create a misleading impression. Promotional search communication must still follow the other applicable rules (cl. 8.1 xii; 3.2).
Can an agency create social media posts and videos for doctors?
The notice permits public health education under specified conditions, but restricts solicitation and certain promotional uses of a doctor's name, image or voice (cl. 5.1; 8.1 ii; 9.2). The application to particular agency arrangements and doctor-led videos requires medical-law review.
Can an agency help a clinic obtain more positive Google reviews?
The notice bars fake, paid or misleading reviews and restricts doctors from requesting or sharing patient testimonials or reviews for promotion on social media (cl. 3.2 Expl. V; 8.1 xi). Its application to Google reviews is not clearly resolved. Seek legal advice before adopting a review-generation process.
Can an agency charge a fee for each patient or referral?
The notice prohibits commissions, referral fees and lead-generation fees tied to procuring patients, and addresses agency or influencer payments linked to individual patients (cl. 8.1 vii, viii). The interaction between these provisions and the restriction on engaging third parties for marketing medical services needs legal interpretation.
Does using AI with a disclaimer make healthcare promotion acceptable?
No. AI-generated promotional campaigns for commercial interest are prohibited under the notice. An AI source mark does not make a prohibited campaign acceptable (cl. 7.2).
Can Medmatis guarantee that a practice will comply with the NMC guidelines?
No agency should promise a guaranteed regulatory outcome. Medmatis can describe its working approach and the review processes it follows. The doctor remains responsible for published content (cl. 4.4).
Important clarification on third-party marketing
Clause 8.1 (ii) lists engaging a third party for marketing medical services among conduct doctors should avoid. Clauses 8.1 (viii) and (xi) also address third-party arrangements and prohibited endorsements.
The notice does not clearly explain how these provisions fit together. Doctors should seek medical-law advice before relying on an agency arrangement. This page does not resolve that uncertainty.
Primary source: National Medical Commission, Public Notice No. R-13014/01/2024-Ethics, dated 6 October 2026.
Last checked: 15 October 2026. First published, checked against the text of the notice.
General information, not legal advice. Medmatis is a healthcare marketing agency, not a law firm or a medical provider.
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