Doctors on Instagram? Medical Council puts social media, AI promotions under scanner – NewsMeter

New Delhi: National Medical Commission (NMC) has issued new guidelines barring doctors from using AI-generated promotional campaigns.
This comes as medical professionals increasingly use social media and artificial intelligence to reach patients, build their online presence and communicate about healthcare services,
The new guidelines prohibit AI-generated promotional campaigns and several forms of social media marketing that could commercialise medical practice or mislead patients.
The Guidelines on Ethical Advertising dated October 6 seek to regulate advertising and digital communication by doctors and healthcare institutions. The guidelines have come into effect immediately.
AI-generated promotions prohibited
The NMC has specifically addressed the growing use of AI in healthcare communication. It said AI-generated promotional campaigns undertaken to further commercial interests are prohibited if they violate the prescribed guidelines.
Doctors and hospitals cannot use AI-generated or AI-assisted content to create or disseminate misleading advertisements, testimonials, patient experiences, or claims about healthcare outcomes.
AI-generated material also cannot be used to create a synthetic endorsement or representation of an actual doctor, medical professional or patient experience.
Social media marketing comes under scrutiny
The guidelines cover a wide range of digital platforms, including websites, apps, social media platforms, podcasts, influencer marketing, digital marketing campaigns and AI-assisted promotional communication.
Doctors have been barred from using social media and other promotional activities to create unnecessary demand for medical procedures, promote unnecessary or profit-based medical services, or solicit patients.
The guidelines also prohibit doctors from manipulating patient reviews, testimonials, likes, followers, engagement, or search rankings to create a misleading impression of their professional standing.
Doctors cannot use paid rankings or promotional arrangements with individuals or platforms in a manner that amounts to solicitation.
For RMPs
RMPs are also prohibited from making claims such as “best doctor”, “number one”, “most trusted” or similar superiority claims.
What doctors and hospitals can post
The NMC has not imposed a blanket ban on doctors or hospitals communicating online.
Medical practitioners can participate in health-awareness programs, public-health campaigns, academic discussions and educational content, provided these activities do not amount to promotion or solicitation.
What can they post?
Hospitals and medical institutions can publish factual information about their location, departments, facilities, equipment, emergency services, accreditation, services, and permitted charges. However, such information cannot be presented as inducement or comparative advertising.
In case of violations:
Violations can attract graded disciplinary action, beginning with warnings and mandatory ethics training and extending to suspension of registration or removal from the medical register in serious or repeated cases.

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