Medical assistants will be able to issue a medical certificate, including sick leave, according to the amendment to the act adopted by the Sejm on Thursday, prepared by the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy.
431 deputies voted in favor, one person was against, one abstained.
It is about an amendment to the Act on cash benefits from social insurance in the event of sickness and maternity and the Act on health care benefits financed from public funds. A medical certificate may be issued by a person authorized by a doctor, i.e. a medical assistant. “Such a solution not only relieves the issuers of medical certificates from the obligations related in fact only to the technical completion of the document of a medical certificate of temporary incapacity for work, but also constitutes another activity supporting the elimination of the paper circulation of documents” – emphasized the justification.
Assistants may be persons performing the medical profession, auxiliary activities in the provision of health services, “as well as activities related to the maintenance of the ICT system in which medical documentation is processed and ensuring the security of this system, based on the authorization of the data administrator”. A special register of persons who will be authorized to issue certificates is to be created.
The act also provides for changes in the recording of health insurance contributions – in 2019 the costs of their collection and recording (deducted by the Social Insurance Institution) will be “temporarily” reduced from 0,20 percent. up to 0,175 percent The difference between these amounts is to be allocated by the National Health Fund for the financing of computer hardware, software and training of doctors who will issue electronic exemptions.