Tirupati: In a significant move to decentralise medical registration services, the Andhra Pradesh Medical Council (APMC) launched district-level doctor registration renewals and re-registration services at SV Medical College (SVMC) in Tirupati on Saturday.
With this, doctors no longer need to travel to Vijayawada for services other than permanent registration, offering relief to hundreds of medical professionals in the region.
The two-day registration drive was inaugurated by district Collector Dr S Venkateswar in the presence of APMC Chairman Dr Daggumati Sreehari Rao. Speaking to the media, Dr Venkateswar described the initiative as a welcome development and urged senior doctors, practicing physicians, and medical students to take full advantage of the services now available locally.
He commended the APMC for introducing long-pending reforms that have brought greater ease and flexibility in availing council services. “The decentralisation of the registration process is a major step forward. I request APMC to continue introducing innovative measures to make the process even more accessible,” he said.
Dr Sreehari Rao highlighted that the APMC plans to offer these services at district level every weekend, starting with this initiative in Tirupati. The move aims to reduce travel burdens on senior citizens and practicing doctors seeking re-registration, renewals, or No Objection Certificates (NOCs). A key change introduced includes a reduction in service fees.
Doctors under 75 years of age will now pay Rs 8,000 for registration-related services, while those above 75 will pay Rs 6,000, significantly lower than the previous Rs 40,000–Rs 50,000 range.
Changes have also been made to Continuing Medical Education (CME) credit requirements. Doctors aged 65–70 now need only 15 credit points over five years, while those between 71–80 need 10. Those above 80 years are exempt.
Dr Sreehari Rao announced that meritorious final-year MBBS students from all government and private colleges will be awarded gold medals annually.
APMC is also working on WhatsApp-based services for renewals and introducing AI tools to monitor CME attendance. On this occasion, doctors appealed to the Collector for a permanent APMC office in Tirupati to facilitate registrations with more flexibility. The Collector assured that a decision would be taken after discussions with APMC.
MLC Dr Cipai Subramanyam also spoke on the occasion, which was attended by SVMC Principal Dr G Ravi Prabhu, SVIMS Director Dr RV Kumar, Superintendents of Ruia and Maternity hospitals Dr J Radha and Dr Prameela, DM&HO Dr V Balakrishna Naik and others.
