New Delhi [India], April 7 : The National Medical Commission (NMC) has notified draft amendments to the "Registration of Medical Practitioners and Licence to Practice Medicine Regulations, 2023" in the official gazette to ease registration requirements for doctors serving in the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS), in view of their distinct service conditions.
Recognising the services rendered by Armed Forces personnel for the safety and security of the nation during conflict situations as well as humanitarian and disaster relief (HADR) operations, the NMC has proposed allowing AFMS doctors to remain registered with one State Medical Council during their period of service instead of requiring multiple state registrations.
The commission noted that AFMS doctors function under conditions different from civilian medical practitioners, including postings at remote and operational areas at short notice governed by service exigencies and national security imperatives rather than personal choice of location.
AFMS doctors are commissioned medical officers of the Armed Forces who hold recognised and registered undergraduate and postgraduate medical qualifications and are registered with a State Medical Council or the erstwhile Medical Council of India. They are also subject to strict professional, ethical and disciplinary provisions under the Army Act in addition to NMC norms.
Doctors joining AFMS from civilian institutions are commissioned only after validation of their degree and registration. Upon retirement, AFMS doctors register with the State Medical Council as per their place of work and are governed by NMC provisions like other medical practitioners.
The operational nature of duties of AFMS doctors includes deployments ranging from short-term assignments of up to 179 days to long-term postings of up to three years, casualty evacuation and patient-related tasks, disaster relief operations and operational deployment across multiple states and regions. Such duties involve constant movement across state borders at short notice, and due to security protocols, locations of deployment are usually not disclosed to outside agencies.
At present, under the provisions of the "Registration of Medical Practitioners and Licence to Practice Medicine Regulations, 2023", every doctor is required to register and seek a licence to practice medicine in the concerned state or states where he or she intends to practice. However, frequent transfers of AFMS doctors to various locations create administrative burdens requiring multiple registrations, repeated completion of administrative formalities for the same professional credentials and repeated payment of registration fees to different State Medical Councils.
Keeping these operational requirements in view and based on a request from the office of the Director General of Armed Forces Medical Services (DGAFMS), the NMC has initiated amendments to the "Registration of Medical Practitioners and Licence to Practice Medicine (Amendment) Regulations, 2026."
The draft amendment includes the inclusion of the definition of AFMS and proposes that AFMS doctors may opt to be registered and licensed with one State Medical Council of their choice at the time of joining AFMS for the duration of their service and be authorised to practice in any state or Union Territory in India by virtue of service obligations. Upon retirement or release from service, they would register with or transfer to the State Medical Council where they intend to practice.
The amendment also provides that medical practitioners commissioned in AFMS may register any additional medical qualification with the State Medical Council with which they are registered during their period of service, and such entries will remain valid across all states and Union Territories for the duration of their service.
Further, the licence of AFMS medical practitioners shall not be rendered inactive solely due to non-submission of renewal applications within the prescribed time by the concerned State Medical Council. The office of the DGAFMS will furnish details of commissioned medical practitioners along with renewal applications, wherever applicable, to the concerned State Medical Councils annually and also provide records to the National Medical Commission.
The provisions relating to transfer of licence to practice will not apply to medical practitioners serving in AFMS during their service period, and such practitioners will be deemed authorised to practice across all states and Union Territories by virtue of their service obligations.
In cases of alleged professional misconduct by AFMS doctors, jurisdiction to decide the matter will rest with the State Medical Council with which the practitioner is registered, based on recommendations from the State Medical Council within whose territorial jurisdiction the cause of action arose.
The regulation also clarifies that the amendments do not preclude disciplinary or administrative action against AFMS doctors under applicable Armed Forces service laws.