August 24,2024
New Delhi: Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Jagat Prakash Nadda, inaugurated the National Medical Register (NMR) Portal of the National Medical Commission (NMC) for the registration of all eligible MBBS doctors in India, according to an official statement from the ministry.
Union Minister of State (MoS) Anupriya Patel attended the meeting, while Union MoS Prataprao Jadhav participated virtually.
The National Medical Register (NMR) is mandated under Section 31 of the NMC Act, 2019, which states that the Ethics & Medical Registration Board (EMRB) of NMC shall maintain a National Register in electronic form containing the names, addresses, and all recognised qualifications of licenced medical practitioners.
The NMR will serve as a comprehensive and dynamic database for all allopathic (MBBS)-registered doctors in India. Its uniqueness lies in its linkage to the Aadhaar ID of the doctors, ensuring the authenticity of the individual.
Speaking at the event, Nadda commended the NMC and the National Health Authority (NHA) for their efforts in creating the National Medical Register, which he described as a comprehensive and dynamic database for all allopathic (MBBS) registered doctors in India.
He stated, “The Prime Minister’s vision is to make India digitally advanced, and this can only be achieved if the health ecosystem is also digitally robust. The National Medical Register is a much-awaited step in this direction, strengthening the digital healthcare ecosystem and ensuring quality healthcare for the people of India.”
Nadda added that the National Medical Register would be continuously upgraded and improved through enhancements to the registration process on the portal.
Highlighting the role of the State Medical Councils (SMCs), Nadda said, “The State Medical Councils are key stakeholders in developing and maintaining the National Medical Register and facilitating the registration process.” He urged the SMCs to actively participate and expedite the registration process, as their efforts in authentication would be crucial to the success of the NMR. He also mentioned that the government is moving towards launching a similar register for paramedics and other healthcare professionals.
Terming the launch of the NMR a “momentous occasion,” Union MoS Anupriya Patel said, “The need for the National Medical Register has been felt for a long time. The NMR is important, as authentic data on doctors across the country is crucial. The existing data on doctors is scattered, requiring revision and updating, and the NMR portal will ensure this. The easy registration process will help maintain authentic data, which is vital as India strives to create a robust digital health ecosystem. The digital registry of doctors will be an essential pillar for that.”
Union MoS Prataprao Jadhav highlighted the importance of the NMR, stating, “The NMR portal will ensure dynamic, authentic, and consolidated data on doctors in the country. The speedy and easy registration process on the portal will facilitate timely updates of the data. This will lead to greater transparency and quality among medical professionals, ensuring public trust in the healthcare system by providing verified information in a transparent manner. The government, under the vision of the Prime Minister of ‘Reform, Perform, and Transform,’ is committed to providing quality healthcare to the people, and the launch of the NMR is a step in that direction.”
Union Health Secretary Apurva Chandra added, “Until now, there has been a lack of comprehensive data that could provide a detailed and holistic picture of aspects like the total number of doctors in the country, those who have left the country, those who have lost their licences to practice, or the numbers and details of doctors who have passed away. The launch of the NMR will provide data on more than 13 lakh doctors.”
Chandra further stated that the NMR would be part of the Healthcare Professional Registry under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission and would contain all the details of medical professionals.
The NMR will be a comprehensive and dynamic database for all allopathic (MBBS) registered doctors in India, linked to the Aadhaar ID of the doctors, ensuring their authenticity.
The entire registration process for the NMR is straightforward and online. All medical colleges/institutions, including Institutes of National Importance (INIs) and SMCs, are interconnected on the portal. Some data will be visible to the public, while other information will be accessible only to the Ethics & Medical Registration Board (EMRB) of the National Medical Commission (NMC), State Medical Councils (SMCs), the National Board of Examinations (NBE), medical institutions, and registered medical practitioners, as per their requirements.
Additional details, like registration and qualification credentials, can be manually entered and submitted through the portal. Following this, the application is automatically forwarded to the respective State Medical Council for verification.
The SMC would then forward the application to the relevant college or institute for further review. Upon successful verification by the State Medical Council, the application is sent to the National Medical Commission. After the NMC’s verification, a unique NMR ID would be issued. During this process, doctors can opt to join the Healthcare Provider Registry, linking them to the broader digital healthcare ecosystem.
Through this portal, all stakeholders, including SMCs and educational institutions, can log in and verify applications from a single platform. The NMR portal offers a variety of features, including the ability to add additional qualifications, track applications, suspend licences, and issue NMR ID cards and digital doctor certificates. The NHA will further support the development of the NMR, including the future release of an enhanced version of the portal. This will include direct integration with the next software, continuing medical education, and credit points.
All MBBS doctors already registered on the Indian Medical Register (IMR) must register again on the NMR of the NMC. To begin the registration process, doctors must have a digital copy of their MBBS degree certificate, the registration certificate from the State Medical Council/Medical Council of India where they first registered, and their Aadhaar number ready.
Source: Healthworld