New Delhi, October 14, 2026: The National Medical Commission (NMC) has issued fresh guidance clarifying the conditions under which doctors can remotely authenticate medical records using legally recognised digital or electronic signatures. The regulator has emphasised that doctors must review the relevant clinical information before signing any medical document and remain fully accountable for the contents they authenticate.
The advisory aims to standardise digital healthcare practices while protecting patient safety, confidentiality and professional standards as hospitals increasingly adopt electronic medical records and remote diagnostic services.
Doctors Must Review Clinical Records Before Signing
The NMC has clarified that a registered medical practitioner must examine the clinical information, investigation results and other relevant material necessary to form a professional opinion before digitally signing a report or patient record.
If the available information is insufficient to reach a reliable conclusion, the doctor should not authenticate the document until the necessary review, examination or verification has been completed.
The guidance reinforces the principle that a digital signature must reflect genuine professional assessment rather than a routine administrative approval.
Remote Digital Authentication Is Permitted
The advisory does not impose a blanket prohibition on remote authentication of electronic clinical documents. Doctors may digitally sign laboratory reports, pathology reports, radiology findings, diagnostic interpretations and discharge summaries, provided they meet the applicable legal and professional requirements.
The clarification is intended to provide greater consistency as healthcare institutions increasingly rely on remote reporting systems and digital workflows.
Digital Signatures Do Not Reduce Professional Liability
The NMC has stressed that a digital signature is a means of authenticating an electronic document and does not reduce the doctor’s professional, ethical or legal responsibilities.
Doctors remain accountable for the reports they sign and cannot use digital authentication as a substitute for independent medical judgment. The same standards of professional care apply whether a document is signed electronically or through a conventional process.
Guidance Responds to the Expansion of Digital Healthcare
Hospitals and diagnostic centres are increasingly using electronic health records, digital diagnostic platforms, telemedicine services and remote reporting arrangements.
However, differences in institutional practices have created uncertainty over the appropriate use of digital signatures. The NMC’s advisory seeks to clarify the responsibilities of doctors and healthcare establishments involved in these processes.
Doctors Must Be Associated With the Healthcare Facility
According to the guidance, a registered medical practitioner may remotely authenticate records for a healthcare establishment only when they have a formal professional association with that institution.
Such an association may include employment, consultancy, empanelment or a contractual arrangement. Doctors must also have lawful access to the relevant patient information and comply with applicable requirements governing the handling of medical records.
Digital Credentials Must Remain Confidential
The NMC has emphasised that digital-signature credentials, access tokens and other authentication mechanisms must remain under the control of the individual doctor.
Doctors must not share or delegate these credentials to staff members or other individuals. Any suspected misuse should be reported promptly through the appropriate channels.
These safeguards are intended to prevent unauthorised approvals and ensure that the person whose name appears on a medical document is responsible for authenticating it.
Hospitals Must Maintain Audit Trails
Healthcare establishments also have responsibilities under the guidance. Electronic record systems should incorporate safeguards such as authentication logs, audit trails, timestamps and appropriate security controls.
These measures can help establish who accessed, reviewed or authenticated a document and when the action took place. Maintaining reliable records is particularly important when medical documents are processed remotely or handled by multiple professionals.
Patient Privacy and Cybersecurity Remain Essential
The advisory reiterates the importance of complying with applicable privacy, data-protection and cybersecurity requirements.
Doctors and healthcare institutions must protect patient confidentiality and ensure that electronic health information is accessed and handled securely. The use of digital systems does not remove existing obligations concerning sensitive medical information.
Foreign Medical Experts Cannot Automatically Certify Indian Records
The NMC has also clarified the distinction between obtaining an overseas medical opinion and independently certifying an Indian medical record.
Foreign specialists may provide remote opinions for consideration by an Indian treating team, subject to applicable rules. However, such consultations do not automatically authorise a foreign doctor to practise medicine in India or independently certify Indian medical records.
‘Ghost Signing’ Concerns Highlight Need for Accountability
The clarification comes amid reported concerns about diagnostic reports being authenticated by doctors who may not have personally reviewed the relevant findings.
Reports have highlighted allegations involving so-called “ghost pathologists”, in which a doctor’s credentials may allegedly be used to authenticate reports without genuine professional assessment.
The NMC’s guidance makes clear that remote authentication is permissible only when the doctor concerned has actually reviewed the relevant clinical information. Allegations of misconduct must be established through appropriate investigation.
Advisory Clarifies Existing Legal Framework
The NMC has described the guidance as clarificatory rather than a new law. It is intended to standardise the application of existing legal and professional requirements to digital medical records.
The framework includes relevant provisions of the National Medical Commission Act, Telemedicine Practice Guidelines and Information Technology Act, alongside other applicable regulations.
Digital Healthcare Must Preserve Clinical Responsibility
The advisory underscores the need to balance the convenience of digital healthcare with professional accountability. Remote authentication can support faster reporting and more accessible medical services, but it cannot replace clinical review or independent medical judgment.
The regulator’s central message is that every digital signature on a medical record must represent a genuine professional assessment by the doctor whose name appears on the document.
Source – National Medical Commission, The Indian Express, Medical Dialogues, India Today
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