ICG's Commitment to NMC-Compliant Marketing

ICG is a healthcare marketing agency, and compliance is built into how we work rather than checked at the end. This page sets out that commitment as it stands after the National Medical Commission's Guidelines on Ethical Advertising and Public Communication by Hospitals/Medical Institutions and Registered Medical Practitioners, issued on 6 October 2026 and in force immediately. For the guidelines themselves, see our complete guide to the NMC advertising guidelines 2026.

Updated 8 October 2026 to the National Medical Commission's Guidelines on Ethical Advertising and Public Communication by Hospitals/Medical Institutions and Registered Medical Practitioners (public notice No. R-13014/01/2024-Ethics, dated 6 October 2026, in force immediately). Paragraph numbers in this article refer to those guidelines. General information, not legal advice.

Who we work for, and how

Our clients are hospitals, clinics and medical institutions. They may publish factual, objective and verifiable information about themselves: departments, facilities, services, accreditation and charges (para 8.3), and a doctor directory on their website (para 9.1). For individual doctors, we support only genuinely educational content in the doctor's own name and designation (para 8.2(iii)). We do not run promotional campaigns for an individual registered medical practitioner, because para 8.1(ii) bars a doctor from engaging a third party to market medical services.

We also tell clients plainly that publishing through an agency does not move responsibility away from them (para 4.4). That is why every piece of patient-facing content is approved by the client before it goes live.

What we will not publish

• Patient testimonials, endorsements or "patient speaks" content used for promotion (para 3.2, Explanation V; para 8.1(xi))
• Before-and-after images or success stories used for promotion, with or without consent (paras 8.1(v) and 6.2)
• "Best", "No.1", "leading" or "top" claims, outcome guarantees, or "100% success" and "painless" claims (paras 8.1(iii) and 8.1(ix))
• Discounts, offers, coupons, cashback or free procedures used as inducements (para 8.1(x))
• Fear-based messaging or content designed to create unnecessary demand (para 8.1(i))
• Bought, incentivised or gated reviews, fake followers or engagement, or any manipulation of rankings (para 8.1(xii))
• Identifiable patient information, or AI-generated patients and testimonials (paras 7.4 and 7.2)

How the review works

Every page, post, ad and video script goes through a pre-publication check before the client approves it. The check confirms that each named doctor is shown with name, qualifications, registration status and SMR/NMR number (para 3.2, Explanations III and IV), that AI-generated content carries a source mark and has had human medical review (para 7.2), and that patient data is handled under the DPDP Act 2023 (para 7.6).

The other frameworks we apply

The NMC guidelines are one layer. Depending on the client, we also apply:

• The Dental Council of India's code of ethics (dental clients)
• The ART (Regulation) Act 2021 (IVF and fertility clients)
• Schedule J and the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act (any content touching conditions those laws list)
• UCPMP 2024 (pharma clients)
• FSSAI advertising and claims rules (health food, supplement and nutraceutical clients)
• The ASCI Code (influencer and consumer advertising)
• Google and Meta healthcare advertising policies (paid search, YouTube and paid social)
• DHA standards, AHPRA and GMC guidance (content directed at the UAE, Australia and the UK)

When the rules change

When a regulator issues new rules, we update our checklist, review live client content against it, and tell each client which of their pages need changes. The October 2026 guidelines are the most recent example: this page, and our other NMC articles, were revised to match them.