Confusion over new registration norms for allopathic docs

The system of assigning Unique Identification Number (UID) for allopathic doctors who are already registered has proved a non-starter with the deadline it stipulated for them to do so expiring this week. However, the National Medical Commission (NMC) issued an advisory on Wednesday that the web portal would take some more time to be ready and hence the time for registration would be extended.

The NMC notification of the regulation dated May 10 stipulated that all practitioners of modern medicine already enrolled in the Indian medical register or state medical register should update their entry on the web portal of the Ethics & Medical Registration Board (EMRB) within a period of three months. On Thursday, it will be three months since the date of the notification, but with no web portal ready for doctors to register, confusion reigned.

In view of the time period of three months stated in the regulation "approaching fast", the NMC stated that it was "in the process of launching an integrated web portal catering to all stakeholders (state medical councils, medical colleges and RMPs etc.)". However since that would take some more time, once the portal gets activated and the registration process begins "sufficient time shall be allowed and extended if need be to all the stakeholders for onboarding and operationalising the registration process," stated the advisory. It added that detailed guidelines and progress on this front will be informed from time to time on the NMC website.