WE REFER to last Saturday's letter by Singapore Medical
Association president Chong Yeh Woei ('Change law to make firms
accept MCs from any doctor'), as well as recent letters on the same
issue.
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) would like to reiterate that
employers should recognise medical certificates issued by any
registered medical practitioner for the purpose of being absent
from work due to illness.
However, in order to take sick leave with pay, the Employment
Act states that an employee needs to obtain a medical certificate
from a company or government doctor.
This is only a minimum requirement, and does not stop an
employer from recognising a medical certificate from any
doctor.
Provisions on sick leave with pay are included in collective
agreements or employees' contracts of service. In a survey
conducted by MOM in 2009, three in four private establishments
accepted medical certificates issued by all medical practitioners
for the purpose of granting paid sick leave.
We thank Dr Chong for his views. We will take the views of all
parties, including employees, trade unions and businesses, into
account in future reviews of the Employment Act to ensure a balance
between statutory obligations and business needs.
Farah Abdul Rahim (Ms)
Director, Corporate Communications
Ministry of Manpower