Reviewed on: 2026-06-12.
Direct answer: You own the records of your own treatment. A registered doctor must keep your case record and hand over a copy when you ask, and the National Medical Commission's professional conduct rules say a practitioner should supply medical records within 72 hours of a request. A diagnostic lab must give you the report of a test you paid for. So do not argue at the counter. Put your request in writing, name the visit date and your OPD or registration number, and ask for the copy within 72 hours. Keep the payment receipt, because it is the single proof that ties the record to you. If the clinic still refuses, escalate to the establishment head, complain about the doctor to the State Medical Council where the doctor is registered, and file for deficiency in service on e-Daakhil. A private clinic or lab is not covered by RTI; only a government hospital, dispensary, or government lab is.
There is a common myth that the original file “belongs to the doctor” and you have no claim. That is wrong about the copy. Medical ethics regulations under the National Medical Commission require a registered medical practitioner to maintain the patient's records and to supply documents to the patient or an authorised attendant on request, and the long-standing benchmark is that records should be provided within 72 hours. Several states also bind clinical establishments to maintain and share patient records under their Clinical Establishments Act rules. You are not asking for the master file. You are asking for a copy. Stating the 72-hour figure in writing changes the tone, because it shows the clinic you know the norm.
A spoken request leaves no trace. Hand a written request at the reception and ask for a dated, stamped acknowledgement, or email it so you have a timestamp. Ask only for a copy, set the 72-hour deadline, and ask that any refusal be recorded in writing with a reason. A refusal in writing is not a setback. It is the exhibit you will attach to every later step.
To: The Medical Superintendent / Owner, [Clinic / Hospital / Lab Name], [City] Subject: Copy of my own prescription and test report, visit dated [date], Reg./OPD No. [number] I consulted [Dr. Name] / used your diagnostic services on [date]. My registration number is [number] and I paid Rs [amount]; the receipt is enclosed. Please provide, within 72 hours: 1. A legible copy of my prescription for that visit. 2. The report of the test(s) I underwent and paid for. A patient is entitled to a copy of records of their own treatment, and the National Medical Commission conduct rules expect records to be supplied within 72 hours of a request. I am asking only for a copy, not the original file. If any fee applies for the copy, please tell me and I will pay it. If you cannot provide the copy, kindly record the reason in writing. [Name, mobile, email, date] Enclosure: copy of payment receipt; appointment proof
In Pune in April 2026, a woman paid Rs 4,200 for a biopsy at a private lab that then showed her the result on a screen and refused a printed copy, saying the referring doctor would “explain it”. She needed the report for a second opinion before surgery. She emailed the lab the same evening, quoting her sample number and the payment, and asked for the report within 72 hours, citing the NMC conduct rules. No reply came. She wrote to the lab director with the email attached, and registered an NCH docket on 1915. The lab released the full histopathology report on the fourth day and apologised in writing. The second opinion went ahead on time. The payment proof and the dated, unanswered email did the work; no court step was needed.
RTI reaches only public authorities. A government hospital, government dispensary, primary or community health centre, government medical college hospital, and a government diagnostic lab are public authorities. If you were treated or tested there, you can file an RTI with its Public Information Officer for a copy of your prescription, OPD card, case sheet, or report. Mention the visit date, department, and OPD or registration number so the PIO can locate the file. See how to file RTI online and the state RTI portal directory.
A private clinic, private hospital, or private lab is not a public authority. An RTI to them has no legal basis and wastes your deadline. For private facilities use the grievance, medical council, and consumer routes above.
As a general principle, yes. National Medical Commission conduct rules require a registered doctor to maintain records and supply copies to the patient on request, and the accepted norm is supply within 72 hours. A lab that ran a test you paid for should give you the report. Ask in writing and keep the receipt.
It is the benchmark period within which a doctor is expected to hand over medical records once you request them. It is not an absolute statutory deadline for every situation, but quoting it in your written request puts the clinic on notice and starts your own clock for escalation.
A test you paid for is a service rendered to you, and the report is part of your record. Showing it on a screen is not the same as giving you a copy. Send a written request naming the sample number, and if refused, escalate to the lab head and the consumer route.
Complain about an individual registered doctor's conduct to the State Medical Council where the doctor is registered. Complain about the establishment through its grievance route and, where it exists, the state clinical-establishments authority. For compensation, both can be made parties before the consumer commission.
A government hospital or government lab is a public authority. File an RTI with its Public Information Officer for your prescription, case sheet, or report, naming the visit date, department, and OPD number. If there is no reply in time, file a first appeal under Section 19.
You can usually get records as an authorised attendant or with the patient's consent. Records of a deceased patient can raise nominee or succession questions and are handled differently. Carry proof of relationship and any authority you hold.
Records of your own treatment are easy to retrieve, so give the 72-hour deadline in your written request. If there is no copy by then, escalate to the establishment head, then to the State Medical Council or the consumer commission.
Download the medical records request checklist (PDF).