Canadian Medical Association backs eliminating sick notes

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This article was published 28/10/2024 (365 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Canadian Medical Association has joined Doctors Manitoba in calling for the elimination of sick notes for short-term minor illnesses.

The national association released a position statement Monday.

Eliminating the notes was one of six recommendations made by the Joint Task Force to Reduce Administrative Burdens for Physicians earlier this month. The task force, co-chaired by Doctors Manitoba and representatives from the provincial government, was set up in February 2023.

“Writing sick notes takes time away from patient care, and research shows they aren’t an effective way of verifying illness-related absences from work,” Doctors Manitoba president Dr. Randy Guzman said in a news release. ​“We appreciate the CMA’s new policy statement, reinforcing recommendations from here in Manitoba and from organizations across the country calling for the elimination of sick notes for minor illnesses.”