Doctors will now have to get a Unique Identification Number (UID) to be able to practice medicine in the country, as per the new regulations by the National Medical Commission (NMC).

The UID will be generated centrally by the NMC ethics board and thereby grant the practitioner, registration in NMR and eligibility to practice medicine in India.

According to the new notification by NMC, there will be a common national medical register for all the registered medical practitioners of the country. The same will be maintained by the Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB) under the NMC. This register will contain all the entries of the registered medical practitioners of all State Registers maintained by the various State Medical Councils and will have all relevant information regarding the medical practitioner.

The licence to practice medicine issued to a registered medical practitioner will be valid for a period of five years after which the medical practitioner will have to renew the licencing by making an application to the State Medical Council, said the new notification-“Registration of Medical Practitioners and Licence to Practice Medicine Regulations, 2023”.

The application for renewal of licence may be made before three month of expiration of the validity of licence, it said.