The Canadian Medical Association wants to eliminate sick note requirements by companies for employees with short-term minor illnesses.
The association says this could prevent as many as 12.5 million unnecessary health-care interactions in a single year.
CMA president Dr. Joss Reimer says sick notes are not a health systems issue, but rather a human resources issue.
The association says sick notes burden physicians with unnecessary administrative tasks and detract from patient care.
In a new position paper, the CMA calls for legislative changes to restrict the requirement for sick notes and promote alternatives such as self-certification and flexible leave policies.
It says the move aims to ease the administrative burden on health care providers and improve patients' access to care and the overall efficiency of the health care system.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 28, 2024.
