All doctors in the country will receive a unique identification number on the National Medical Register that is likely to be rolled out by the end of next year. The register will be a dynamic one where doctors can keep updating details of their qualifications, fellowships, and other courses. This centralised repository will allow people to check the credentials of their doctor, said Dr Yogendra Malik from the Ethics and Medical Registration Board under the country’s apex medical regulator. A pilot for the assessment system has already been conducted in eight colleges across the country – four private and four government. The National Medical Commission (NMC) is now in the process of consulting assessors and other stakeholders to finalise the process. “The unique ID will be like a bank account where all information about doctors will be stored. Different stakeholders like boards under NMC, institutions employing the doctors, or medical colleges where they go for further education, and people will have different levels of access to the data as per the need,” Malik said. Those in the know of the matter said an IT platform with verified information will make it easy for colleges and employers to check credentials of doctors. The National Medical Commission will run a pilot to test the IT platform in the next six months, Malik added. The new register will allow doctors to seek licences to practise in multiple states. The data from state medical councils was used to create the current Indian Medical Register that will be replaced by this new register. It will contain details such as the registration number, date of registration, place of work, medical qualifications, speciality, university where the qualifications were obtained, and the year of passing. The registration has to be updated every five years.
