How to Verify a General Physician's Registration Yourself

What the Registration Number Actually Proves

A general physician in India cannot legally practise without registration under the National Medical Commission or a State Medical Council. That registration is the single credential you can check independently, before you book anything.

On Attesar, every professional's identity is verified. The medical registration number shown on a listing, however, is self-declared — Attesar does not check it against the official register. That check is yours to make, and it takes a few minutes.

What the number proves: that a person with that name holds a live registration to practise medicine. What it does not prove: their specialty, their experience, their hospital affiliation, or whether they are the right physician for your particular problem.

Which Register Holds the Record

Registration sits with either the National Medical Commission or one of the State Medical Councils, depending on when and where the physician registered. Most practising physicians appear on a state council roll; the NMC maintains the national register.

Reading the number

Indian medical registration numbers are typically a sequence of digits, sometimes with a state prefix or suffix. A number alone does not tell you the state, the year, or the qualification — you need the register entry to interpret it.

Searching the register

Go to the NMC's online register or the relevant State Medical Council's register and search by the physician's full name. Use the name exactly as it appears on the listing. Match the registration number against the entry that comes back.

What a match looks like

A genuine match gives you: the registered name, the registration number, the qualification recorded, the council, and the registration status. If the number on the listing does not appear against that name, stop and ask why before you pay for a GP consultation.

Qualifications: What MBBS, MD, DNB and MRCP Mean

General physicians commonly hold one or more of the following. Each tells you something different about their training.

A physician with MBBS alone is fully registered and legally able to see you. One with MD or DNB has additional postgraduate training in general medicine. MRCP is a UK qualification and does not by itself change Indian registration status.

Check that the qualification on the listing appears in the register entry. If the listing claims an MD but the register shows only MBBS, that is a discrepancy worth resolving before you book.

Matching the Physician to Your Actual Problem

Registration confirms the licence. It does not confirm fit. General physicians cover a wide range, and it helps to know which part of it you need.

Primary Care

This is the everyday work: fever and infections, general consultation, preventive health checks, vaccination, and referrals onward when something needs a specialist. If you are searching for a general physician near me or a family doctor, this is the layer of care you are looking for. A physician here is often the first person you see and the one who decides whether you need anyone else.

Chronic Conditions

Ongoing management of diabetes, hypertension, thyroid disorders, asthma and COPD, and weight management. These need continuity — the same physician seeing you over months, adjusting treatment as your readings change. If you are looking for a diabetes doctor, a general physician with MD or DNB in general medicine commonly manages this, though some patients are referred to an endocrinologist.

Acute Care

Short-episode problems: respiratory infections, gastric and digestive issues, allergies. These are usually resolved in one or two visits, and the main thing to check is availability rather than long-term fit.

Registration does not tell you which of these a physician handles well or how many patients like you they see. Ask directly when you contact the clinic.

When Something Does Not Match

Discrepancies happen, and most have ordinary explanations. What matters is how you handle them.

• Name spelling differs. Registers record the name as it appeared on the degree. A married name, an anglicised spelling, or a transliteration difference can all cause this. Ask the clinic to confirm the name under which the physician is registered.
• Number not found. Could be a typo on the listing, an old number superseded after a council transfer, or a number that does not belong to that person. Ask for the register entry directly.
• Qualification missing. The register may not record every postgraduate qualification, particularly foreign ones. Ask for the certificate.
• Registration lapsed or suspended. The register will show status. If it is not active, do not proceed.

If a clinic cannot or will not point you to a matching register entry, treat that as your answer. You are not obliged to book.

What You Still Cannot Check Before You Pay

Be clear-eyed about the limits. The register will not tell you:

• how many years the physician has actually practised, beyond the registration date;
• whether they are currently seeing patients, or on a break;
• how they communicate, how long a consultation runs, or what they charge;
• whether their approach suits your condition.

None of that is published anywhere authoritative. The register is a licence check, not a quality check, and no listing — on Attesar or elsewhere — can substitute for it.

Use the register to confirm the licence. Use a first consultation to judge everything else. If you are comparing options, the Attesar directory of General Physicians lists practitioners with identity verified and registration numbers shown, so you can run each number against the official record before you make contact. That is the sequence: verify the number, then decide.