Doctors will now be required to obtain a Unique Identification Number (UID) in order to practise medicine in the country, according to new National Medical Commission (NMC) regulations.

The NMC ethics board will produce the UID centrally, granting the practitioner registration in NMR and eligibility to practise medicine in India.

According to the latest NMC announcement, a common national medical registration will be established for all registered medical practitioners in the country. The same will be maintained by the NMC's Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB). This registry will include all registered medical practitioners' entries from all State Registers maintained by the various State Medical Councils, as well as all related information.

According to the new notification, "Registration of Medical Practitioners and Licence to Practise Medicine Regulations, 2023," the licence to practise medicine issued to a registered medical practitioner will be valid for five years after which the medical practitioner will have to renew the licencing by making an application to the State Medical Council.

It said that applications for licence renewal must be submitted within three months of the license's expiration date.