MOH imposes stricter compliance on medical certificate issuance

The move came following feedback on excessive issuance over teleconsultations.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) has released a circular to remind all registered medical practitioners of the obligations in issuing medical certificates (MCs) found in the Singapore Medical Council Ethical Code and Ethical Guidelines 2016 Edition.

According to the circular, the ministry had received feedback from various employers and government agencies regarding the excessive issuance of MCs following outpatient medical service (OMS) consultations, particularly in teleconsultations.

The feedback alleged that MCs were issued without proper clinical assessments and follow-ups, for non-medical reasons, and to malinger medical leave privileges.

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In line with this, the MOH states that the issuance of MCs must adhere to the prevailing guidelines.

The guidelines state that MCs must be issued to patients only on proper medical grounds arrived through good clinical assessment.

The ministry also intends to require all licensees to ensure that every MC issued must include the name and MCR number of the issuing medical practitioner.

Furthermore, any licensees found permitting the anonymisation of issued MCs under their approved services will be in breach of this proposed requirement.

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