The National Medical Commission’s plan to re-register around 11 lakh doctors to build an updated National Medical Register is drawing attention to a more immediate issue. Thousands of doctors who appear to have entered the profession in recent years may still be missing from the national database. An analysis based on MBBS seat availability and estimated pass rates suggests that at least 68,000 new medical graduates should have been eligible for registration in 2025. However, the Indian Medical Register recorded only about 44,400 new entries that year, leaving a potential gap of at least 24,000 doctors.

The discrepancy becomes more notable when foreign medical graduates are considered. More than 10,000 foreign medical graduates cleared the qualifying examination in 2023 and would generally have completed the required internship before becoming eligible for permanent registration. Their…