Doctors can sign lab and radiology reports remotely with an e-signature, NMC says — but only after reviewing them

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has issued an advisory, through its Ethics and Medical Registration Board on 13 October 2026, on remote authentication of medical records with digital or electronic signatures. NMC says hospitals had developed "divergent practices" on whether a doctor who is not physically present can sign off a report. The advisory settles the question, within limits.

What is now clear

• No prohibition. The NMC Act, its regulations and the 2020 Telemedicine Practice Guidelines do not bar a registered medical practitioner from remotely reviewing and authenticating laboratory, pathology and radiology reports, diagnostic interpretations, discharge summaries and other electronic clinical documents, using a signature recognised under the IT Act, 2000.
• Review first, sign second. The doctor must look at the clinical information needed to form an opinion and use independent judgment. If the information is not enough, the doctor must not sign until it is.
• The signature does not shift responsibility. An e-signature is only the method of authentication. The doctor's professional, ethical and legal responsibility, and the hospital's, stay exactly the same.
• Never share credentials. Signature keys, tokens and log-ins must stay under the doctor's control and cannot be delegated. Any suspected misuse has to be reported.
• Link to the institution. A doctor may remotely sign reports from a healthcare establishment they are appointed to, empanelled with or contracted by, and to whose records they have lawful access.
• Hospitals must keep audit trails, with authentication logs and date and time stamps, and must follow data-protection and cybersecurity rules.
• Foreign experts can give second opinions, which must be documented, but they cannot authenticate an Indian medical record or practise in India through this route.

NMC says the advisory clarifies existing law and creates no new rights. It follows a recommendation of the High-Level Committee on Non-Financial Regulatory Reforms to make digital signatures easier to use in medical practice.

Also: every medical college needs a patient safety cell

In a separate public notice dated 8 October 2026 (posted on 12 October), NMC asked all medical colleges and institutions to designate a Patient Safety Nodal Officer and to set up a Patient Safety Committee or Cell. The committee should draw members from the relevant specialties, and it will oversee and review patient safety protocols and SOPs. Colleges must send the committee's details to the National Patient Safety Secretariat at the Directorate General of Health Services.

What this means for you

For radiology, pathology and lab medicine residents heading into teleradiology or networked lab jobs, the advisory is now the reference point. Remote reporting is allowed, but every report you sign is yours, and so is the duty to refuse when the data is thin. For MBBS students, expect your college's new patient safety cell to show up in ward protocols and teaching. If you work at a diagnostic chain, ask how your signing credentials are stored. Under this advisory, they should be in nobody's hands but yours.

CareerBox News Desk — reporting on the National Medical Commission’s public notice and advisory of 13 October 2026 on remote authentication of medical records through digital and electronic signatures, and its public notice of 8 October 2026 on Patient Safety Committees in medical colleges. Official portal: nmc.org.in. Dates and eligibility change; confirm them on the official portal before you act.