Overview
- The National Medical Commission has issued new Guidelines on Ethical Advertising that take effect immediately and bar use of patient testimonials, before‑and‑after images, paid or fake reviews, and guaranteed‑outcome claims for promotion.
- The rules define advertising broadly to cover websites, messaging apps, podcasts, social media posts, sponsored influencer content and AI‑generated or AI‑assisted material.
- The NMC specifically forbids using AI to create synthetic patient voices, testimonials, images or clinical outcomes for marketing and prohibits paying to manipulate search rankings or ratings.
- Doctors and hospitals remain legally responsible for content produced or shared by agencies, influencers or other third parties and cannot enter payment arrangements tied to procuring patients or offer referral discounts that induce unnecessary care.
- Factual health education and public‑health messaging remain allowed with clear disclosure of name, qualifications and registration, while violations trigger graduated penalties from warnings and mandatory ethics training to suspension or removal from the medical register.