How to Choose a Weight Loss Doctor in Indore

Choose a doctor registered with the National Medical Commission or the Madhya Pradesh Medical Council, with a postgraduate qualification in medicine or endocrinology, who checks your blood tests and other health conditions before prescribing anything and who will see you again every month. If weight-loss medicine is on the table, it matters even more: GLP-1 medicines are approved in India for prescription by endocrinologists and internal medicine specialists, and by cardiologists for some uses. You can check any doctor's registration yourself in a couple of minutes on the NMC's Indian Medical Register.

What the letters after a doctor's name mean

Check a registration in two minutes

1. 1Ask the clinic for the doctor's full name, registration number and the council that issued it. Most doctors in Indore are registered with the Madhya Pradesh Medical Council.
2. 2Search the doctor's name or number on the NMC's Indian Medical Register, which brings together the state registers. For Madhya Pradesh, you can also search the MP Medical Council's online directory by name, registration number, qualification or district.
3. 3Check that the name, qualification and council match the prescription or the clinic board.

Some registers are slow to update, so a very recently registered doctor may not show up yet. If a clinic refuses to give you a registration number at all, that is your answer.

When to see an endocrinologist, not only a physician

Most people can start with a physician (MD Medicine) or a diabetologist. Doctors usually bring in an endocrinologist when:

• you have diabetes that needs insulin, or several diabetes medicines that are not working well together;
• weight has come on fast with other changes, such as purple stretch marks, easy bruising, a rounder face or muscle weakness, which can point to a hormone problem;
• thyroid disease is not well controlled;
• you have PCOS with irregular periods and plans for a pregnancy, where an endocrinologist and a gynaecologist often work together;
• you have had weight-loss surgery and are regaining weight.

Before any weight-loss medicine, a careful doctor asks for basic blood tests: usually blood sugar and HbA1c, a lipid profile, liver and kidney function, and thyroid (TSH). Ask for the full cost upfront, and whether the lab is NABL accredited.

Questions to ask at the first appointment

1. 1What is your registration number, and with which council?
2. 2Which tests do you need before deciding anything?
3. 3Will I see the same doctor at every follow-up, and how often?
4. 4If I get side effects at night or on a Sunday, who do I contact?
5. 5What is the full cost of the plan, including follow-ups and tests, not just the first month?
6. 6What happens when I stop? Is there a plan for keeping the weight off?
7. 7Will you tell me if medicine is not right for me?

The last question matters most. A doctor who never says no is not practising medicine. Our broader list of questions to ask before starting a GLP-1 goes further.

Red flags

• A package sold before a doctor has seen you.
• Promises of a fixed number of kilos by a fixed date.
• An injection given or handed over without a prescription in your name.
• Medicine from an unlabelled vial, or a pen without its carton and batch number.
• No named doctor, or no registration number when you ask for one.
• Pressure to pay today for a discount that ends tonight.

How online follow-up works

India's Telemedicine Practice Guidelines, 2020 let a registered doctor consult you by video, phone or chat and issue a valid prescription when they judge it safe to do so. For a first consultation, medicines beyond simple over-the-counter ones need a video call, not just a chat (Telemedicine Practice Guidelines, 2020). For weight management, a mix often works well in Indore: tests at a local lab, a first consultation on video or in person, and monthly follow-ups on video without a trip across town in the traffic. Ask how the doctor will see your weight, waist and blood test results between visits. For the legal details, read how to get a GLP-1 prescription online, legally.

Living with weight loss in Indore

Indore eats well. Poha-jalebi breakfasts, Sarafa after dark and Chappan Dukan on a Sunday are part of life here, and a good doctor plans around them rather than banning them. Ask for an eating plan built on what your family actually cooks, with room for a weekly outing. Early-morning walks before the heat, and an evening walk after dinner in the cooler months, are easier to keep up than a gym membership for most people.

Where ALTRcare fits

ALTRcare, which publishes this guide, is run from Indore and consults patients online across India. It has no walk-in clinic. Two of its doctors, Dr. Archana Rathi and Dr. (Major) Bhavesh Talera, are registered with the Madhya Pradesh Medical Council; every doctor's qualifications and registration number are on our doctors page.