'I hope this becomes a prevalent practice': Ong Ye Kung on employers not requiring MCs for mild conditions

Unwell, but not sick enough to warrant a visit to the clinic?

Calling in sick to work without having to produce a medical certificate (MC) might just become a norm in the near future. 

Such a practice was brought up in Parliament by Health Minister Ong Ye Kung during his closing speech to end the debate about the White Paper for Healthier SG on Wednesday (Oct 5). 

Ong noted that "many employers already do not insist on MCs for Covid-19", and added: "Our healthcare clusters today accept up to three days of sick leave without the need to produce an MC; the Civil Service grants officers up to two, for mild conditions like cough and cold.

"I hope this becomes a more prevalent practice," he said. 

Ong was addressing concerns brought up by several Members of Parliament (MP) about residents being unable to choose their family doctors under the Healthier SG Programme. 

Under the Healthier SG programme that is slated to begin in the second half of 2023, eligible residents will be invited to choose a primary care physician who will holistically manage their health. 

To mitigate this issue, Radin Mas MP Melvin Yong suggested that employers not insist that workers produce MCs whenever they are sick — a practice implemented early this year due to the surge in Covid-19 cases. 

Ong agreed with Yong, noting that many common ailments "can be managed with more rest, drinking more water and perhaps some over-the-counter medication". 

Said Ong: "Ironically, the disease where this is practiced the most is Covid-19!

"But we queue up and see a family doctor because we want to get an MC. It is not the best use of the doctor’s precious time and resources." 

In February, Manpower Minister Tan See Leng urged employers to implement this practice of not requesting MC from Covid-19 positive workers to lighten the load of healthcare systems that were overwhelmed by the rising number of infections amid the Omicron wave. 

Back in 2018, general practitioner (GP) Lee Yuan Hwa proposed that employers give workers "some sick leave without MCs", reported Today. 

Making reference to former Nominated MP Irene Quay's comments in Parliament in the same year, Lee said that doing so would benefit Singapore's healthcare system. 

One such benefit would be reducing the acute caseload of GPs, thus giving them more time to spend on preventive health and chronic disease management. 

ALSO READ: Employers should not request MC from Covid-19 positive workers: Tan See Leng

claudiatan@asiaone.com