All registered medical practitioners across the country will now be covered under a common National Medical Register with each of them allotted a unique identification number, as per a gazette notification recently released by the National Medical Commission (NMC) titled “Registration of Medical Practitioners and Licence to Practice Medicine Regulations, 2023”.
The notification also makes the passing of National Exit Test (NEXT) compulsory for both Indian and foreign medical graduates for the purpose of registration with the National Medical Register.
Under the latest notification, the national register will contain all the entries of the registered medical practitioners of all State registers maintained by the various State Medical Councils.
Further, this register will be made public on the official NMC website and will contain relevant information about a medical practitioner including registration number, name, father’s name, date of registration, place of working (name of hospital/institute), medical qualification including additional medical qualification, speciality, year of passing, university, name of the institute/university where qualification was obtained.
The notification explains that until such time that these regulations and appropriate sections are in force, licence to practise and prevailing system of registration shall continue.
Besides, the notification also notes down the process of renewal clearly noting that a licence to practise is valid only for five years, after which all doctors will have to apply for renewal to the State Medical Council.
The NMC has also laid down the process of registration of additional qualifications, renewal of licence to practise medicine, transfer of licence to practise, removal and restoration of registration, transitory provisions, denial of licence to practise, among others.
On denial of licence to practise, the notification says that if the application of a candidate for grant of licence to practise /for renewal is rejected by the State Medical Council on any ground, the applicant concerned may file an appeal to the Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB) against the decision of the State medical Council, within 30 days of receipt of such decision.
The EMRB shall examine the appeal and in case the first appeal is rejected by the Board, the applicant may file a second appeal to the NMC, within a period of 60 days from receipt of communication from the EMRB. “The decision of the NMC shall be final,” said the notification.