DIMAPUR, SEPTEMBER 21 (MExN): The Nagaland Health & Family Welfare Department has introduced a simplified registration mechanism for medical, dental, AYUSH, pharmacy, nursing and allied healthcare practitioners seeking to practise in the State, dispensing with the requirement of obtaining a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Council where they are currently registered.
The Nagaland Simplification of Healthcare Practitioners Registration Notification, 2026, notified on Monday, is aimed at simplifying registration and enrolment with the respective State Councils and “promoting ease of doing business and facilitating the mobility of qualified healthcare professionals within the State.”
The notification applies to persons possessing recognised qualifications in medical, dental, AYUSH, pharmacy, nursing or allied healthcare and holding valid registration with any State or Union Territory Council in India. Under the new mechanism, such practitioners may practise in Nagaland, subject to enrolment with the respective Council in the State.
A key change is the removal of the requirement to first obtain an NOC from the Council with which a practitioner is presently registered. Applicants will instead have to submit copies of their recognised qualification, proof of valid registration with their parent State or UT Council and a prescribed self-declaration to the concerned Council in Nagaland.
The application will be processed through the respective Council's dedicated online portal, or offline where the online portal is not operational. The Council is required to grant a registration number “within seven working days” from receipt of the application.
Once the registration number is granted, the practitioner may commence practice in Nagaland, subject to applicable laws, regulations and other professional requirements.
The notification, however, provides for subsequent verification of the credentials submitted by applicants. The respective Councils will independently verify the qualification and registration particulars with the parent or presently registered State/UT Council.
“The responsibility of obtaining and furnishing such verification documentation shall be assumed entirely by the Councils,” the notification stated. The verification is to be completed within 30 days from the grant of the registration number. During this period, the registration will remain provisional.
If verification establishes that the qualification or registration is not genuine, has been suspended, cancelled or is otherwise invalid, the concerned Council may cancel the registration after providing the practitioner a reasonable opportunity of being heard. The cancellation is to be issued through a written order. The notification also cautions practitioners against submitting false or misleading information. Any “false, misleading or fabricated self-declaration” may invite disciplinary action by the parent Council and/or the concerned Nagaland Council under the applicable Acts, Rules, Regulations and professional codes.
Such conduct may also attract prosecution under applicable provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and other laws in force. The simplified registration process does not exempt practitioners from existing professional and legal obligations. Those registered under the new mechanism will continue to be governed by the relevant Council Acts, Rules and Regulations, professional ethics, disciplinary procedures and other applicable laws.
