NMC draft norms proposes single-state licence for AFMS doctors to practice across country

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has issued draft amendments to the Registration of Medical Practitioners and Licence to Practice Medicine Regulations, ...

What Happened

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has issued draft amendments to the Registration of Medical Practitioners and Licence to Practice Medicine Regulations, 2023, proposing a simplified registration regime specifically for doctors serving in the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS).
The key proposal: AFMS doctors may choose to register with any one State Medical Council of their choice at the time of joining service, and that single registration will authorise them to practise medicine in any state or Union Territory across India for the entire duration of their service.
The draft also provides that AFMS doctors' licences will not be deactivated merely because renewal applications could not be submitted on time due to postings, and that disciplinary jurisdiction will rest with the State Medical Council of registration (not the state where the alleged misconduct occurred).
The reforms address the chronic administrative burden on AFMS doctors who face frequent inter-state transfers but are currently required to register separately with each State Medical Council of the state in which they are posted.

Static Topic Bridges

National Medical Commission (NMC) — Replacing the MCI

The National Medical Commission (NMC) was established on 25 September 2020 under the National Medical Commission Act, 2019, replacing the Medical Council of India (MCI), which had operated under the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956. The MCI was dissolved following persistent concerns about regulatory capture, corruption in medical college approvals, and lack of transparency.

NMC constituted under: National Medical Commission Act, 2019
Effective from: 25 September 2020
Composition: 33 members — 1 Chairperson, 10 ex-officio members, 22 part-time members (including state representatives, medical professionals, and lay members)
Four autonomous boards under NMC:
UGMEB — Undergraduate Medical Education Board
PGMEB — Postgraduate Medical Education Board
MARB — Medical Assessment and Rating Board
EMRB — Ethics and Medical Registration Board (maintains National Medical Register — NMR)
NMC functions: grants recognition to medical qualifications, accredits medical schools, registers medical practitioners, monitors medical practice and infrastructure
National Medical Register (NMR): maintained by EMRB — a unified national database of all licensed medical practitioners; only those on the NMR can legally practise medicine

Connection to this news: The NMC's EMRB — which maintains the National Medical Register — is the body under whose regulations the proposed AFMS amendments fall. The NMC Act empowered NMC to frame regulations for licensing and registration, enabling this kind of reform for specialised service categories.

Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS)

The AFMS is the medical arm of the Indian Armed Forces, providing healthcare to military personnel, their families, and veterans across India and in operational/deployment zones. AFMS doctors (commissioned officers in the Army Medical Corps, Naval Medical Service, and Air Force Medical Service) are subject to frequent transfers to different states as part of their service obligations.

AFMS falls under the Ministry of Defence
Army Medical Corps (AMC), Naval Medical Service (NMS), and Air Force Medical Service (AFMS) are the three service components
AFMS runs military hospitals across India (e.g., Army Hospital Research and Referral, Delhi; Command Hospitals in various cities)
AFMS doctors hold ranks from Lieutenant (Graded Medical Officer) to Lieutenant General (Director General Medical Services)
Medical education for AFMS officers: Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune — one of India's premier medical institutions
AFMS doctors were previously required to register with each State Medical Council in whose jurisdiction they practised — creating multiple registration obligations across a career with 7–10 postings in different states

Connection to this news: The proposed amendment directly resolves a structural administrative problem for AFMS doctors whose professional obligations (serving wherever posted) conflict with the state-centric medical licensing framework.

Medical Licensing Framework in India

Medical practice in India is regulated through a dual framework: a national register (NMR under NMC/EMRB) and State Medical Councils (SMCs) in each state. The NMC Act, 2019 aimed to create a unified national framework, but registration with State Medical Councils remains a parallel requirement under existing practice.

Each state has its own State Medical Council (e.g., Maharashtra Medical Council, Karnataka Medical Council) that grants the licence to practise within that state
The NMC Act, 2019 envisions the NMR as the primary licensing authority, with state councils playing a complementary role
A doctor must be registered with an SMC to legally practise in that state's jurisdiction
The Indian Medical Register (previously under MCI) has been subsumed into the NMR under EMRB
Disciplinary proceedings against doctors are handled by EMRB at the national level and by SMCs at the state level
Common Licence to Practise Medicine (CLPM): the NMC has been working toward a uniform national licensing standard through the NEXT (National Exit Test) examination

Connection to this news: The proposed AFMS amendment carves out a service-specific exception to the state-by-state registration requirement — a significant step toward the principle of national portability of medical licences, which has broader implications for healthcare delivery across states.

Significance for Healthcare Governance

The proposal reflects a broader policy direction toward portability in professional licensing — a concept relevant not just to doctors but to all regulated professions in India. The existing fragmented state-by-state licensing system creates barriers to deployment of healthcare professionals where they are needed most, a problem that became visible during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During COVID-19, the government invoked emergency powers to allow registered practitioners to practise across state lines — highlighting the structural limitation of the current system
The National Health Policy, 2017 envisions a robust national healthcare workforce able to be deployed flexibly
Telemedicine Guidelines, 2020 (under the NMC Act) also move toward removing geographic barriers in healthcare delivery
"One Nation One Medical Register" is a long-term objective of NMC's EMRB — the AFMS amendment advances this principle for a specific category

Connection to this news: The AFMS-specific proposal can be seen as a test case and policy precedent for broader national licensing portability reforms in India's medical system.

Key Facts & Data

NMC established: 25 September 2020, under National Medical Commission Act, 2019
Replaced: Medical Council of India (MCI), which operated under the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956
NMC composition: 33 members (1 Chairperson + 10 ex-officio + 22 part-time)
Four NMC boards: UGMEB, PGMEB, MARB, EMRB (Ethics and Medical Registration Board)
NMR (National Medical Register): maintained by EMRB — mandatory for legal medical practice
AFMS: Armed Forces Medical Services (under Ministry of Defence)
Key AFMS education institution: Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune
Problem addressed: AFMS doctors face multiple state-by-state registration obligations due to frequent transfers
Proposed solution: single State Medical Council registration, valid pan-India for AFMS service duration
Disciplinary jurisdiction: rests with the SMC of registration (not state of posting)
Licence cannot be deactivated for failure to renew due to posting/service obligations
Broader implication: advances "One Nation One Medical Register" policy objective