Employees everywhere take note:
If you have a boss who forces you to get a doctor’s certificate every time you take a day off for a cold, then you need to find yourself a doctor like this.
This Canadian doctor, furious with people crowding his office when all they need is a doctor’s certificate for work, has decided to take a stand.
He has written a standard form for people who come in to his office with minor and common illnesses just to satisfy their employers.
An amused patient recently posted the letter to reddit:
BAM.
If you can’t see clearly on the photo, we typed it out just for you:
Dear Employer:
An employee of your company visited my office/emergency room for the purpose of obtaining a medical not to satisfy your company’s absenteeism policy. This request is a non-insured service, non funded by Medical Services Insurance.
As a business operator in Nova Scotia, I am asking for your support in helping to alleviate an unnecessary pressure on the health-care system. I am hoping you will consider revisiting your current absenteeism policy and remove the requirement for your employees to obtain a medical note for missed time from work.
This policy creates an unnecessary burden on the the health-care system and also exposes seriously ill patients in my office to viruses that could cause detrimental consequences to their health. In most cases, the best remedy for a patient with an isolated illness (i.e. gastrointestinal virus or common cold) is to stay home, rest and drink fluids. Coming to a doctor’s office or an emergency room for a medical note does not complement their recovery.
If, for whatever reason, your business decides to continue to require a physician to authorise their employee’s absenteeism, I will require your employee to bring with them a written request from the organisation for the medical note. Upon providing the service I will invoice your company $30.00 per medical note. This is a standard practice when providing non-medical necessary services for third-party organisations.
As Canadians we are lucky to have our health-care system, but the ability to access its services in a timely fashion is a growing problem. Health-care providers, business operators, governments and individuals all have a role to play to ensure its sustainability. I hope your business will consider changing your current absenteeism policy and therefore contribute to reducing the unnecessary burden on our health-care system and improve access for other Nova Scotians.
So, what’s the lesson here? Maybe… BELIEVE EMPLOYEES WHEN THEY SAY THEY’RE SICK AND DON’T FORCE THEM TO HAUL ARSE TO THE LOCAL DOCTOR WHEN THEY JUST NEED TO STAY IN BED FOR A DAY. Maybe.