Can doctors in India ask patients for Google reviews?
Yes, within limits. No rule in force expressly bars a doctor from asking a real patient for an honest Google review. The code of conduct that applies today, the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002, doesn’t mention online reviews. But its clause 6.1.1 bars soliciting patients “directly or indirectly” and self-promoting publicity, so how you ask decides which side of that line you’re on.
In one screen- Do: Ask every patient, in person or with one follow-up message they’ve agreed to receive.
- Don’t: No discounts, free visits or gifts for a review, and nothing in return for deleting a bad one.
- Don’t: Don’t ask only happy patients, and don’t tell anyone what to write.
- Don’t: No reviews from staff, family or friends.
- Don’t: In replies, never confirm someone was your patient or mention their care.
It’s 9:30 at night and OPD finished an hour ago. You open Google Maps and there it is: a new one-star review. “Waited two hours. Doctor saw me for five minutes.”
A few dozen reviews to show for years of practice. Yet hundreds of patients have thanked you with folded hands at the door, sent sweets at Diwali, brought their parents and children to you. Hardly any of them have written a word online.
So you decide to start asking, and the doubts arrive. Is that even allowed? Didn’t NMC ban it? Your receptionist has an idea too: “Doctor, the clinic opposite gives ₹100 off the next visit for a review. Shall we do the same?”
This guide answers both. It’s written for doctors registered with NMC and the State Medical Councils, and every rule in it is checked against the sources listed at the end.
Why you keep hearing “NMC has banned reviews”
In August 2023, NMC notified new professional conduct regulations for doctors. Their social media guidelines said doctors should not request or share patients’ testimonials, recommendations, endorsements or reviews on social media. It was widely reported, and plenty of articles still quote it as if it were in force.
It isn’t. On 23 August 2023, three weeks later, NMC put the 2023 regulations in abeyance until a fresh gazette notification, and brought back the 2002 regulations as the code doctors follow. NMC’s own rules page still lists that pause, with nothing newer.
So “NMC has banned asking for reviews” quotes a rule that has been on hold for more than three years.
Paused isn’t scrapped. If NMC brings the 2023 regulations back as written, asking for reviews could come under question again. Honest requests, no rewards and no showcase of patient stories: that approach is the one most likely to survive a stricter rule.
Which rules apply to reviews?
Four areas of rules touch your reviews, and each covers a different part of the process.
IMC Regulations, 2002
How you ask, where the request appears, and what you can say about patients.
Google’s review policy
Which reviews stay up, and what happens to profiles that game the system.
Consumer Protection Act, 2019 and CCPA guidelines, 2022
Whether reviews used in your own promotion are genuine.
DPDP Act, TRAI’s SMS rules and WhatsApp’s policy
How you use patients’ phone numbers for review requests.
This guide focuses on Google. Practo, Justdial and others have their own review rules, but the other three apply wherever a review is posted.
What the 2002 regulations say
The 2002 regulations predate Google reviews and never use the word “review”. Four parts of them still decide how you ask, where the request goes and what a reply can say. For the wider rules, see our guide to medical advertising compliance in India.
| Clause | What it says | What it means for reviews |
|---|---|---|
| 6.1.1Soliciting and publicity | “Soliciting of patients directly or indirectly … is unethical.” Doctors must also not “boast of cases, operations, cures or remedies or permit the publication of report thereof through any mode.” | In our reading, a plain request for honest feedback isn’t soliciting patients, though a council could take a stricter view. Pushing patients to praise your skill, or publishing their cure stories in your promotion, comes close to this line. |
| 6.1.2 and 7.13Letterhead, signboard, prescription | Publicity material on a letterhead or signboard is self-advertisement. Signboards and prescription papers should carry only name, qualifications, titles, speciality and registration number. | Keep “Review us on Google” off the signboard, letterhead and prescription pad. Use a reception card, the bill or a follow-up message. |
| 2.2 and 7.14Confidentiality | Patient confidences “should never be revealed” unless the law requires it (2.2). Clause 7.14 allows disclosure only under a court order, where there is a serious and identified risk to someone, or for notifiable diseases. | A public reply to a review isn’t one of those exceptions. Nothing about a patient’s care goes in a reply. |
| 7.17Identifiable patients | Photos or case reports that could identify a patient can’t be published in a medical or other journal without the patient’s permission. | Treat your own marketing the same way: get written permission before using a patient’s review with their name or photo. |
Breaking these is professional misconduct (clause 7.1). Any patient can complain to the medical council, which can remove a doctor’s name from the register for a period or for good (clause 8.2).
Google’s rules: the ones you’ll run into
Your State Medical Council isn’t checking your Google profile every week. Google’s systems are, and its review policy is where most clinics slip, often without knowing.
First, the good news: Google says you can ask. Its policy lets businesses encourage reviews of genuine experiences, “without offering incentives to do so or attempting to influence the rating or the contents of the review”, and its help page suggests sharing a review link or QR code.
What Google’s policy for Maps doesn’t allow:
- Rewards for a review: money, discounts, free services or gifts. Rewards for changing or deleting a bad review, too.
- Asking only satisfied patients, or discouraging unhappy ones.
- Pressuring people to review while they’re still at your clinic.
- Telling people what to write, such as the doctor’s name or the procedure.
- Review targets for staff, or asking patients to name a staff member.
- Reviews from anyone with a conflict of interest: staff past or present, relatives, business partners, competitors.
- Unusual volumes or patterns of reviews that suggest someone is trying to manipulate the rating.
Some review tools send a quick survey and share the Google link only with people who give four or five stars. Everyone else gets a private form. That’s called review gating, and it’s the selective asking Google bans. Private feedback forms are fine; just send the Google link to everyone.
Break these rules and Google removes the reviews. For fake engagement it can restrict the whole profile: no new reviews for a period, existing ones unpublished, and a warning to patients that fake reviews were removed. That warning costs more trust than any one-star review.
Consumer law and patient data
Two more areas of law matter once reviews leave Google: advertising, and messaging patients.
When reviews become advertising
Since the Supreme Court’s 1995 judgment in Indian Medical Association v. V.P. Shantha, paid medical care has been a “service” under consumer protection law. The Central Consumer Protection Authority’s 2022 guidelines on misleading advertisements say an endorsement used in an ad must reflect the endorser’s genuine, reasonably current opinion, based on adequate information about or experience with the service. Any connection with the advertiser that could affect the endorsement’s credibility must be disclosed.
So once a review goes into your own promotion (your website, an ad, a WhatsApp broadcast), it’s held to that standard. A glowing review from your cousin, used in an ad without saying who wrote it, breaks Google’s rules and these.
When you message patients
Review requests on WhatsApp or SMS use patients’ phone numbers from your records, so three sets of rules apply:
- Data protection. The Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025 were notified on 13 November 2025 and come into force in phases. The rules on notice and consent apply from May 2027, and the notice you give patients must list the specific purposes you use their data for. Name follow-up messages as one of them now, and stop messaging anyone who asks.
- SMS. Under TRAI’s rules on commercial messages, you must be registered as a sender, and every SMS has to go out under a registered sender ID and a pre-registered message template. SMS providers usually handle the paperwork. A review request doesn’t fit neatly into TRAI’s “service message” categories, so your provider may register it as promotional, which brings stricter consent rules and a mandatory opt-out in each message. Ask them how they classify it.
- WhatsApp. WhatsApp’s business messaging policy lets you message someone only if they’ve given you their number and agreed to receive messages from you, and you must honour any request to stop. It also warns against sending health-related information where regulations restrict it.
Our page on DPDP compliance for clinics covers the data side in more detail.
What’s OK and what isn’t
Print this one for your front desk.
| What you’re doing | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Asking every patient at the end of the consultation | OK | Google allows genuine requests, and no clause expressly bars it. |
| One WhatsApp or SMS with your review link, a day or two after the visit | OK | Only to patients who’ve agreed to hear from you. See the messaging rules above. |
| A QR code on a reception card, a standee or the bill | OK | Keep it off the signboard, letterhead and prescription pad. |
| “Review us on Google” printed on your prescription pad or signboard | Avoid | Clauses 6.1.2 and 7.13 limit what these can carry. |
| ₹100 off, a free follow-up or a free test in return for a review | No | Google bans incentives of any kind. |
| Sending the review link only to patients who rated you well | No | Google bans selectively asking for positive reviews. |
| “Please mention Dr ___ by name” or “Write about your surgery” | No | Google bans asking for specific content. |
| Reviews from staff, family, friends, your lab partner or a medical rep | No | Conflict of interest under Google’s policy. |
| Handing a patient a tablet at the desk and waiting while they type | No | Google bans pressure while people are on your premises. |
| Weekly review targets for your receptionists | No | Google names staff quotas specifically. |
| A one-day “review drive” that brings in a sudden burst of reviews | Avoid | Google’s policy targets unusual volumes or patterns of reviews. |
| A refund or free visit if they delete a bad review | No | Rewards for removing reviews are banned too. |
| Replying to a bad review with the patient’s history | No | Clauses 2.2 and 7.14 on confidentiality. |
| A wall of patients’ cure stories on your website | Avoid | Clause 6.1.1, and the CCPA guidelines once it’s promotion. |
What to say when you ask
Keep it short, ask everyone, and let patients decide what to write. Three versions follow, in English and Hindi. Fill in the highlighted parts.
Sign in to the Google account that manages your Business Profile, open the profile and choose “Ask for reviews” (sometimes shown as “Get more reviews”) to copy the link or download a QR code. If the profile itself needs work, start with our page on Google Business Profile optimisation for doctors.
1. At the desk, spoken
At the end of the visit, to every patient.
“Thank you for coming in today. If you get a minute later, would you share your honest experience on Google? It helps other patients choose. The link is on this card.”
“आज आने के लिए धन्यवाद। अगर बाद में समय मिले, तो क्या आप Google पर अपना सच्चा अनुभव लिखेंगे? इससे दूसरे मरीज़ों को सही फ़ैसला लेने में मदद मिलती है। लिंक इस कार्ड पर है।”
2. WhatsApp or SMS, a day or two later
One message, only to patients who’ve agreed to hear from you. No reminders.
Hello [Name], this is a message from [Clinic name]. Thank you for visiting us on [day]. If you have a minute, you can share your honest experience on Google here: [review link]. It helps other patients choose the right doctor. If you’d rather not get messages like this, just reply STOP.
नमस्ते [नाम] जी, यह संदेश [क्लिनिक का नाम] की ओर से है। [दिन] को हमारे यहाँ आने के लिए धन्यवाद। अगर एक मिनट हो, तो Google पर अपना सच्चा अनुभव यहाँ लिख सकते हैं: [रिव्यू लिंक]। इससे दूसरे मरीज़ों को सही डॉक्टर चुनने में मदद मिलती है। अगर आप ऐसे संदेश नहीं चाहते, तो बस STOP लिखकर भेज दें।
3. Reception card or standee
Print it next to your QR code.
Your honest feedback helps other patients. Scan to share your experience on Google.
आपकी सच्ची राय दूसरे मरीज़ों के काम आती है। Google पर अपना अनुभव लिखने के लिए स्कैन करें।
- “Please give us 5 stars.”
- “Please mention Dr ___ by name.”
- Any offer: a discount, a free follow-up, a lucky draw.
- Anything about the patient’s condition or treatment. Phones get shared at home, and “How is your IVF treatment going?” lighting up a lock screen is a confidentiality problem you created.
One judgement call: if your clinic’s name reveals the specialty, say a fertility or psychiatry clinic, ask at the desk instead, or message only patients who’ve said they’re comfortable with it.
How to reply without breaking confidentiality
Replies matter. Google notifies the reviewer when you reply, and they can edit their review afterwards. Other patients read replies too: in rater8’s 2026 survey of US patients, 66% said a provider’s responses to reviews affect their trust.
It’s tempting to set the record straight: “You came for your sugar and didn’t follow the diet chart.” It feels fair. It’s also a confidentiality breach in one line, and clauses 2.2 and 7.14 make no exception for a patient who went public first.
- Don’t confirm the reviewer was your patient. Even “Thank you for visiting us” does that.
- Don’t mention a diagnosis, treatment or visit detail, even if the reviewer has.
- Don’t argue facts in public. Give a name and number, and take it offline.
- Wait a day before answering an angry review. A reply written at 11 pm after a long OPD rarely reads well in the morning.
- Reply in the review’s language, and vary your wording. Twenty identical replies look automated.
A. For a positive review
Thank them. Say nothing about why they came.
Thank you for taking the time to write this. It means a lot to the whole team.
Not: “So glad your knee replacement went well!” It confirms the patient and names the treatment.
B. For a complaint about care
Acknowledge, don’t discuss, move it offline.
We’re sorry to read this. We take every concern seriously, but we can’t discuss anyone’s care in a public forum. Please call [name] on [number] or write to [email] so we can look into it properly.
यह पढ़कर हमें खेद है। हम हर शिकायत को गंभीरता से लेते हैं, लेकिन किसी के इलाज के बारे में सार्वजनिक रूप से बात नहीं कर सकते। कृपया [नाम] से [नंबर] पर बात करें, ताकि हम इसे ठीक से देख सकें।
C. For waiting time, billing or staff behaviour
These aren’t clinical, so you can say what you’re changing.
Thank you for raising this. Long waits are frustrating, and it’s feedback we take seriously. We’ve [one change you have actually made, e.g. started sending an SMS when the doctor is running late]. If you’d like to talk it through, please call [number].
Only mention a change you’ve actually made.
Fake or unfair reviews: what you can do
Google removes reviews that break its policies: fake reviews, reviews from someone with a conflict of interest such as a competitor, off-topic rants, offensive content, and reviews that expose someone’s personal information.
It won’t remove a genuine review because it’s negative. In Google’s own words: “Do not report a review just because you disagree with it or dislike it.”
- In your Business Profile, open your reviews, click the report icon next to the review and choose the reason.
- Track it in Google’s Reviews Management Tool. Decisions usually take a few days.
- If Google finds no violation, you can appeal from the same tool.
Don’t accuse the reviewer in public. If you believe a review is fake, report it, then either skip the reply or use the neutral complaint reply above.
If a review makes false and damaging claims about you, that’s a question for your lawyer. Google has a separate route for legal removal requests.
Why reviews matter more now
Reviews used to be a Google Maps question. Now they also shape what AI assistants tell patients. The clearest recent numbers come from rater8’s 2026 Patient Choice Report, a survey of more than 1,000 US patients:
Source: rater8, 2026 Patient Choice Report. US data.
We haven’t seen a comparable Indian survey, but the mechanics are the same. When a patient asks ChatGPT or Google’s AI Mode for a diabetologist nearby, the answer draws on what the web says about each doctor, and reviews are part of that. More in How to build a doctor entity for Google and AI search and on our AI visibility (GEO) page.
So aim for a steady trickle, not a spike. Genuine reviews month after month look like a real practice. A sudden burst after months of silence is the kind of “unusual volume or pattern” Google’s policy treats as a sign of rating manipulation.
Set it up once: a front-desk checklist
- Copy your review link and download the QR code from your Google Business Profile.
- Add follow-up messages to the purposes listed in your registration or consent form, and record each patient’s agreement.
- Print a small reception card with the QR code. Keep it off the prescription pad, letterhead and signboard.
- Brief the front desk on five rules: ask everyone, no rewards, no scripts, no targets, and no clinical details in messages.
- Save the follow-up message as a quick reply in WhatsApp Business. If you use SMS, have your provider register it as a template.
- Decide who replies to reviews, and keep the reply templates where that person can find them.
- Once a month, read every new review and fix the complaint that comes up most.
Frequently asked questions
Is it legal for doctors in India to ask patients for Google reviews?
Yes, within limits. No rule in force expressly bars it: the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002 don’t mention online reviews, and Google lets businesses ask for honest ones. But clause 6.1.1 bars soliciting patients and self-promotion, so don’t reward reviews, ask only satisfied patients, tell patients what to write, or have staff and family post them.
Did NMC ban doctors from asking for reviews?
Its 2023 professional conduct regulations included a social media guideline against requesting or sharing patient reviews. NMC put those regulations in abeyance on 23 August 2023 and restored the 2002 regulations, which don’t address reviews. The 2023 rules stay on hold until NMC issues a fresh gazette notification.
Can I offer patients a discount or a free follow-up for leaving a review?
No. Google bans incentives of any kind, including discounts, free services and gifts, for posting, changing or deleting a review. Incentivised reviews get removed, and Google can restrict a profile it finds gaming reviews.
Can my staff, family or friends write reviews for my clinic?
No. Google treats reviews from current or former employees, relatives and anyone else with a conflict of interest as rating manipulation and removes them. If such a review ever appears in your advertising, consumer law also requires the connection to be disclosed.
How should a doctor reply to a negative Google review?
Calmly, briefly and with no patient details. Don’t confirm the reviewer was your patient or mention their treatment, even if they did. Say you take concerns seriously but can’t discuss anyone’s care in public, and give a name and number to take it offline. Clauses 2.2 and 7.14 of the 2002 regulations protect confidentiality.
Can I show Google reviews on my clinic’s website?
The safer option is your overall rating with a link to your Google profile. If you quote reviews, pick ones about the experience rather than cures, don’t edit them, and get permission before using a name or photo. Clause 6.1.1 bars publicising cures, and the CCPA’s 2022 guidelines require endorsements in ads to be genuine.
Can I get a negative Google review removed?
Only if it breaks Google’s policies: a fake review, one from a competitor, or one with offensive content or someone’s personal information. Report it from your Business Profile and track it in Google’s Reviews Management Tool. Google won’t remove a genuine review just because it’s negative.
Do these rules apply to dentists, physiotherapists and AYUSH practitioners?
Google’s review policy and consumer law apply to every clinic. The 2002 regulations quoted here cover doctors registered with NMC and the State Medical Councils. Dentists, AYUSH practitioners and allied health professionals have their own regulators and codes, so check yours.
Sources
- National Medical Commission. Code of Medical Ethics Regulations, 2002 (Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002, amended up to 8 October 2016).
- National Medical Commission. Rules and Regulation, NMC: the 2023 professional conduct regulations (2 August 2023) and the amendment holding them in abeyance (23 August 2023).
- Medical Dialogues, 13 August 2023. How to behave on social media? NMC releases 11 commandments for doctors.
- Google. Maps user-generated content policy: Prohibited and restricted content.
- Google Business Profile Help. Tips to get more reviews.
- Google Business Profile Help. Business Profile restrictions for policy violations.
- Google Business Profile Help. Manage customer reviews.
- Google Business Profile Help. Report inappropriate reviews on your Business Profile.
- Google. Maps user-generated content policy: Legal removals.
- Central Consumer Protection Authority. Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisements and Endorsements for Misleading Advertisements, 2022 (Gazette notification).
- Supreme Court of India. Indian Medical Association v. V.P. Shantha & Ors, 13 November 1995 (via Indian Kanoon).
- Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025 (G.S.R. 846(E), 13 November 2025).
- Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. Advice to senders of commercial communications, and the 2025 amendment to the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations, 2018.
- WhatsApp. WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy.
- rater8. 2026 Patient Choice Report. Survey method (more than 1,000 US adults, April 2026) as reported by MediaPost, 3 June 2026.
This guide is general information about the rules as they stood on 29 September 2026. It isn’t legal advice. If you’ve received a complaint or a legal notice, speak to a lawyer.
Shivam Dixit
Shivam Dixit founded DoubleSure to help Indian doctors, clinics, and hospitals get found by the right patients online. He writes about healthcare SEO, AI search, and what it takes to grow a credible medical practice in 2026.With 14+ years across digital marketing and healthcare growth, Shivam works directly with specialists in orthopaedics, paediatrics, neurology, and surgery to translate clinical excellence into digital visibility. He is also founder of PeopleApps.ai, a software and digital-marketing studio that builds the websites, platforms, and patient-acquisition systems behind DoubleSure — so strategy and engineering sit under one roof.He is the host of Unscripted With Shivam, a Hindi healthcare podcast where he interviews India's leading medical minds.