Multi-State Practice in India: Are You Compliant with Medical Registration Norms?

With the rise of telemedicine and multi-location consultations, many doctors today find themselves serving patients beyond their primary state of registration. However, this expansion must be aligned with the legal framework outlined by the National Medical Commission (NMC) and individual State Medical Councils (SMCs). According to prevailing regulations, a doctor must be registered with the respective State Medical Council to practice, whether physically or digitally, in that state.

Even if a doctor holds an NMC-recognized qualification and is registered in one state, they are not automatically authorized to practice in another without separate registration. This rule applies to both in-person consultations and many forms of telemedicine, although the NMC’s framework for cross-state digital practice is still evolving. The Telemedicine Practice Guidelines (2020), published by the…