Since the Telemedicine Practice Guidelines came into force in March 2020, any Registered Medical Practitioner in India can legally offer teleconsultations without any additional registration or licence. The barriers are low — but the rules matter. Here is a complete, practical guide. Do I Need a Separate Registration to Offer Telemedicine? No. If you are already registered with the Medical Council of India (now the National Medical Commission) or any State Medical Council, you are legally authorised to provide telemedicine services. No additional registration, licence, or certification is required. However, if you plan to offer teleconsultations through a third-party telemedicine platform, that platform must be registered under the guidelines. If you are seeing patients directly through your own phone or a tool like Doctrust, no platform registration is needed. What Modes of Consultation Are Allowed? The Telemedicine Practice Guidelines permit three modes: Video consultation — Real-time video call. This is the most clinically robust and is required for first-time consultations where Schedule H drugs may be prescribed for chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension, or asthma. Audio consultation — Regular phone call. Suitable for follow-up consultations and conditions where visual assessment is not required. Text-based consultation — WhatsApp text, email, or messaging. Permitted, but with restrictions. Text-only consultations should be limited to situations where the clinical picture is sufficiently clear and the patient is known to you. For first-time consultations with a patient you have never seen before, a video or audio consultation is expected. Text-only for a completely new patient is not advisable. What Information Must I Collect Before a Teleconsultation? Before prescribing, you must establish: Patient's name, age, and gender Telemedicine Practice in India: Quick Setup Guide for Doctors Telemedicine is now a legally recognised mode of medical practice in India under the Telemedicine Practice Guidelines (March 2020). Below is a concise, practical summary to help you start and run a compliant telemedicine practice. 1. Registration / Licence Requirements If you are registered with the NMC or any State Medical Council, you are already allowed to practice telemedicine. No separate telemedicine registration, certification, or licence is required. No mandatory telemedicine-specific training, but you are expected to be familiar with the guidelines. 2. Technology You Need You can use any reasonable means of telecommunication: Video consultations Devices: Smartphone, tablet, or computer with camera + microphone Platforms: WhatsApp Video, Google Meet, Zoom, Practo, DocsApp, or your own portal Audio-only consultations Any phone call (mobile or landline) Text-based consultations WhatsApp, SMS, email, or any messaging app Digital prescriptions Use a platform like Doctrust to generate PDF prescriptions and send them via WhatsApp or email. No requirement to use a government-approved platform. 3. Basic Telemedicine Workflow Step 1: Patient Registration & Consent Collect: Name, age, gender, contact number. For first-time patients, obtain consent (verbal or written). A WhatsApp message like “I consent to teleconsultation” is sufficient. Document that consent was obtained (note it in your records). Step 2: Conducting the Consultation Take a proper history and do clinical assessment as you would in person. For new patients, prefer video over audio-only; avoid text-only for first consultations. Record: Chief complaint, history, assessment, and plan in your notes. Step 3: Issuing the Prescription Use a digital tool (e.g., Doctrust) to generate the prescription. Clearly mention: “Issued following telemedicine [video/audio/text] consultation.” Include patient details, your name, qualifications, registration number, drug details, and digital signature. Send the PDF to the patient (e.g., via WhatsApp). Step 4: Record-Keeping Maintain consultation notes and prescriptions for at least 3 years. Cloud-based tools like Doctrust can automatically archive these records. 4. What You Can Prescribe via Telemedicine First Consultation (New Patient, No Prior Records) | Consultation Mode | What You May Prescribe | |-------------------|------------------------| | Video | Schedule H medicines (most routine prescription drugs) + OTC medicines | | Audio | Schedule H with caution + OTC medicines | | Text/Chat | Only OTC medicines; no prescription drugs | Follow-Up Consultation (Known Patient, Records Available) You may prescribe all Schedule H medicines via video, audio, or text. Schedule H1 medicines (certain higher-risk antibiotics) may be prescribed in follow-up cases where records exist. Never Permitted / Strongly Restricted Schedule X drugs (habit-forming: certain opioids, benzodiazepines, barbiturates): Not allowed for first teleconsultations. Guidelines are silent for established patients; use extreme caution and prefer in-person. Conditions needing physical examination for safe diagnosis. Emergencies: Telemedicine is not a substitute; direct patient to emergency services. Abortion-related medications: Restricted as per MTP Act and related regulations. 5. Minimum Information to Collect Before Teleconsultation Patient name, age, gender Contact number Chief complaint / reason for consultation Known drug/food allergies Ongoing medications Relevant past medical history (especially for chronic disease follow-ups) Prior records if available (especially when prescribing Schedule H1 in follow-up) This is particularly important for audio-only and text-only consultations. 6. Mandatory Elements of an E-Prescription Your telemedicine prescription must include: Doctor’s name, qualifications, and registration number Clinic/hospital name and address Date of consultation Patient’s name, age, and gender Telemedicine note: e.g., “Issued following video telemedicine consultation” Diagnosis or provisional diagnosis Drug name (generic in CAPITALS), dosage, frequency, duration Special instructions (e.g., before/after food, precautions) Doctor’s digital signature The telemedicine mode note is important for both medicolegal clarity and pharmacy dispensing. 7. Charging for Telemedicine Consultations You are free to charge consultation fees for telemedicine. You may set fees similar to or slightly lower than in-person visits. If using platforms like Practo, DocsApp, Tata Health, they handle payments. For your own setup (e.g., WhatsApp + Doctrust), you can use: UPI (Google Pay, PhonePe, Paytm, BHIM, etc.) Bank transfer Other digital payment methods 8. Key Prohibitions & Cautions Do not prescribe Schedule X drugs in first-time teleconsultations. Do not prescribe without adequate assessment; if needed, switch to video or refer for in-person evaluation. Do not manage emergencies via telemedicine; direct to emergency services. Do not promise anonymity; you must document patient identity and maintain records. Do not practice beyond your specialty or qualifications. 9. How to Start Your Telemedicine Practice Today (Under 1 Hour) Choose a video platform: WhatsApp Video, Google Meet, or Zoom. Set up Doctrust: Create your profile with name, registration number, clinic details. Configure your digital signature. Prepare a consent template (e.g., WhatsApp message): “I understand this is a remote consultation and consent to teleconsultation with Dr. __ on [date].” Create a simple intake format: Ask patients (via WhatsApp text/voice) for: name, age, gender, chief complaint, allergies, ongoing medications. Start consulting: Conduct the teleconsultation. Document notes. Issue a digital prescription via Doctrust. Archive all records. You can explore Doctrust at: https://www.doctrust.in (free for Indian doctors, with prescription PDFs delivered to patients on WhatsApp).