Why verifying a doctor matters in Bangladesh
A prescription is only as trustworthy as the person who wrote it. Bangladesh has a documented problem of unregistered practitioners — people treating patients without BM&DC registration — and registrations that were never renewed. Confirming that a doctor is genuinely registered takes a couple of minutes and is the single best check a patient or pharmacy can make before trusting a prescription.
The BM&DC is the statutory body that registers doctors and dentists to practise in Bangladesh, and it publishes a public register you can search yourself.
What you need first: the registration number
The official register is searched by registration number, so you need that number before you start. By a BM&DC directive, doctors must display their registration number on their prescription pad and chamber signboard, so it is usually printed there. It also appears on the doctor’s registration certificate. If a “doctor” has no registration number anywhere, that itself is a red flag.
Step by step: search the official BM&DC register
- Find the registration number. Get the doctor's BM&DC registration number — it should appear on their prescription pad and chamber signboard, which the BM&DC requires by directive, or on their registration certificate.
- Open the official register. Go to the BM&DC Registration Verification Web Service at verify.bmdc.org.bd. The council’s own search-doctor page now redirects here, so this is the current, official tool.
- Choose the right tab. Pick the tab that matches the registration: MBBS/BDS Doctor, Medical Assistant, or Portable Registration Card. For a standard physician or dentist, use MBBS/BDS Doctor.
- Enter the number and doctor type. Type the registration number (MBBS numbers carry an 'A-' prefix — enter the digits only, as the portal instructs), select the doctor type (MBBS or BDS), complete the captcha, and search.
- Read the result. A valid number returns that doctor's registration record. If no record is found, or the registration is not current, treat it as a red flag and ask for clarification.
Reading the result — and the red flags
- A match for the number confirms the person is a registered doctor of the stated type (MBBS or BDS). Check that it corresponds to the doctor you are seeing.
- No match for a number printed on a pad or signboard is a serious warning sign.
- An out-of-date registration. BM&DC registration must be kept renewed to remain valid; a lapsed registration means the person is not currently registered to practise.
- Unrecognised degrees on the pad. The BM&DC only permits its recognised qualifications to be shown on pads and signboards, so unfamiliar or grand- sounding titles that don’t match the register deserve scrutiny.
One honest caveat: the register confirms identity and registration, not clinical skill. It tells you someone is a registered doctor — not that they are the right doctor for your problem.
How Prescriply makes this easier
Prescriply is prescription software that registered Bangladeshi doctors use — it never issues a prescription on its own. Every prescription it produces carries:
- The doctor’s name and BM&DC registration number on the prescription and its shared copy — the same number you can look up on the official register.
- A “Reg. verified by Prescriply” badge, added once a Prescriply admin has manually reviewed and approved the registration number the doctor submitted — not an automated or online check against the BM&DC register. Until then, the number is shown without the badge.
- A public authenticity link patients and pharmacies can open to confirm who issued the prescription — see how to check a prescription is genuine for how that works.
That does not replace the official register — you can always cross-check the number at verify.bmdc.org.bd — but it means a verified doctor’s identity travels with every prescription. For the wider picture, see BM&DC verification and verified digital prescriptions.
This article is general guidance, not legal or medical advice. The BM&DC portal and its rules can change; the official register at verify.bmdc.org.bd is the authoritative source.
Sources & further reading
- BM&DC Registration Verification Web Service (verify.bmdc.org.bd) — the official public register you search by registration number.
- Bangladesh Medical & Dental Council (BM&DC) — the statutory registration body, whose directive requires the registration number to be displayed on prescription pads and chamber signboards.
- BM&DC Telemedicine Guidelines (July 2020, PDF) — the council’s framework on identifying a registered doctor, including in remote care.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check if a doctor is registered with the BM&DC?
Go to the official BM&DC Registration Verification Web Service at verify.bmdc.org.bd, choose the MBBS/BDS Doctor tab, enter the doctor's registration number and type (MBBS or BDS), complete the captcha, and search. A registered doctor returns a matching record; no match is a warning sign.
Where do I find a doctor's BM&DC registration number?
The BM&DC requires doctors to display their registration number on their prescription pad and chamber signboard, so it is usually printed there. It also appears on the doctor's registration certificate. You need this number to search the official register.
What does a BM&DC registration number look like?
For MBBS doctors the number carries an 'A-' prefix, for example A-12345. On the verify.bmdc.org.bd portal you enter only the digits and choose the doctor type (MBBS or BDS) from the dropdown; the portal explicitly asks for the numeric part without the prefix.
What if the doctor is not found, or the registration has expired?
A number that returns no record, or a registration that has not been kept renewed, is a genuine red flag — BM&DC registration must be current to practise. Bangladesh has a documented problem of unregistered practitioners, so it is reasonable to ask a doctor for their registration number and confirm it yourself.
Does being on the BM&DC register mean a doctor is good?
No. The register confirms that the person is a registered doctor and which qualification type they hold — it is an identity and registration check, not a measure of clinical competence or bedside quality. Use it to rule out unregistered practitioners, not to rank doctors.
How does Prescriply help patients verify a doctor?
Prescriply is software that registered doctors use. Every prescription a doctor issues on Prescriply shows their BM&DC registration number and a public authenticity link, so you can confirm who issued it without a manual lookup. A doctor whose self-reported registration number a Prescriply admin has reviewed and approved also carries a 'Reg. verified by Prescriply' badge — that badge means an admin reviewed and approved the number, not that Prescriply checked it against the official register. Either way, you can cross-check the number on the official register at any time.