LG Saxena’s landmark deregulation move to end years of acute doctor shortage in India’s high-altitude union territory
Leh, June 8, 2026: Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has approved a notification allowing all medical practitioners registered under the National Medical Register to practice in Ladakh — without seeking additional approvals or No Objection Certificates.
The move directly addresses a longstanding administrative gap: Ladakh has no Medical or Dental Council of its own, forcing doctors to navigate redundant bureaucratic hurdles before serving the region.
Under the new framework, practitioners listed in the National Register maintained under the National Medical Commission Act, 2019, gain automatic eligibility to practice across the union territory.
The reform, part of the Administration’s Deregulation 2.0 initiative under Priority Area 19 (Healthcare), targets Ladakh’s chronic shortage of doctors — with several sanctioned posts lying vacant for years, leaving remote communities dependent on contractual NHM staff for specialist care.
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