MEDICAL CERTIFICATES ISSUED BY PRIVATE GENERAL PRACTITIONERS

Dr Kanwaljit Soin asked the Minister for Health if he will assure the public that medical certificates given by private general practitioners are just as valid as those given by government and restructured hospitals as this misapprehension is a contributing cause of non- emergency cases visiting Accident and Emergency Departments of government and restructured hospitals unnecessarily.

BG George Yong-Boon Yeo: Medical practitioners are required to be registered with the Singapore Medical Council before they are allowed to practise in Singapore. Medical certificates issued by all registered medical practitioners, whether they be general practitioners or specialists in the private sector or government and restructured hospitals are equally valid.

In the case of employees who are governed by the Employment Act 1968, Section 44 of the Act requires that the employee consults " a duly registered medical practitioner appointed by the employer or if no such medical practitioner is appointed, by a medical officer" before he is entitled to paid sick leave. The "medical officer" in the Act is defined as a medical practitioner employed by the government while the medical practitioner appointed by the employer is usually a private general practitioner who functions as the company doctor.

According to the Act, employees must see their own company appointed doctor if there is one. Generally most employers have been flexible and have allowed their employees to see either their company appointed doctors or government doctors.

It is true that some employers have preferred to accept medical certificates issued by government polyclinics and A&E Department doctors in the belief that general practitioners are generally more liberal in granting such leave to their patients than government doctors. There are also some employers who do not have company doctors, and their employees may visit the A&E Department instead of polyclinics to obtain a medical certificate from a government medical officer.

Recognising the problem, the Ministry of Health has requested the Singapore National Employers Federation to advise its members that:

a. employers with company doctors should encourage their staff to see their company doctors; and

b. employers without company doctors should appoint company doctors and ensure that their staff are aware of the names and addresses of the company doctors. They can also see government doctors at polyclinics, but not at A&E Departments except for emergencies.