NMC Issues Strict Guidelines for Live Surgery Broadcasts in India, Prioritizing Patient Safety

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has released comprehensive guidelines regulating live surgery broadcasts in India, emphasizing patient welfare, informed consent, and ethical standards while banning commercial exploitation.

The rules, prompted by a 2023 Supreme Court petition (Rahil Chaudhary & Others v. Union of India, WP No. 1141/2023) that exposed misuse of such broadcasts, aim to ensure surgeries serve educational purposes only—especially when demonstrating new or innovative procedures.

NMC Bans Commercial Use of Live Surgeries

The NMC mandates that live surgery broadcasts must not promote surgeons, hospitals, or medical products. Surgeons are prohibited from having any financial interest in equipment used during procedures.

Only qualified surgeons with over five years of post-specialty certification can perform live demonstrations, and foreign medical professionals must obtain temporary permission from the NMC as well as approval from the relevant state medical council. Commercial promotion is entirely banned to preserve the integrity of surgical education.

Patient Safety and Consent Take Center Stage

Patient safety is paramount in the NMC’s 2025 guidelines. Written informed consent is mandatory, and patients must fully understand the educational intent, potential risks, and their right to withdraw consent at any point. High-risk cases, patients with incomplete investigations, or unusual anatomy are explicitly excluded from live broadcasts.

Patients must not receive any form of financial incentive, and to prevent undue burden, organizers must cover all surgery-related costs, including implants, drugs, consumables, and post-operative care. Additionally, insurance coverage is mandatory, and organizers are required to ensure patients are protected from surgical complications—management of which must be offered free of cost.

Hospital and Technical Requirements

Hospitals hosting live surgeries must be well-equipped with advanced operating theaters, full ICU support, and contingency plans in place. The NMC clearly states a preference for recorded surgical videos, cadaveric dissections, wet lab simulations, or augmented reality-based demonstrations over live surgeries, as these formats offer lower risk and comparable educational value.

Only genuinely new techniques merit live broadcasting. All unedited footage must be preserved for at least two years, provided no litigation arises.

Surgeon Conduct During Broadcasts

During live procedures, surgeons must remain focused entirely on patient safety. Direct two-way interaction with the audience is not allowed, except via a designated moderator and only in exceptional cases. Step-wise narration of the surgery is permissible.

Additionally, the operating surgeon holds full accountability for pre-operative discussions and must oversee post-operative care for at least 24 hours following the procedure.

Oversight and Ethical Compliance

These guidelines were issued by the NMC’s Ethics and Medical Registration Board, directly in response to ethical violations highlighted in the Supreme Court petition. Hospitals, medical associations, or event organizers must obtain prior approval from designated institutional heads or state medical councils. Oversight bodies and apex committees are expected to ensure strict compliance with ethical standards.

Fostering Ethical Surgical Education

By enforcing these rules, the NMC seeks to eliminate commercial motivations, uphold patient dignity, and foster a culture of ethical and transparent surgical education.

Through a clear shift toward safer alternatives like recorded procedures, the guidelines aim to balance learning opportunities with patient-first safeguards.

(Rh/Eth/Pooja Bansal/MSM/SE)