A nonsense denounced for years by practitioners, because these certificates required by clubs and federations do not always have medical justification, waste the time of already overloaded doctors and block appointments to the detriment of sick patients who would really need it.
Also read: “Certificates for school, nursery, daycare center… it’s crazy!”: the anger of doctors, drowned in bureaucracy
In short, “medical certificates are not automatic” sums up Marguerite Cazeneuve, deputy director of Health Insurance. In the end, there is less paperwork for patients, time saved for doctors and savings for Social Security which reimburses consultations to reinstate these certificates.
But, “the expected measures are not there at all”, regrets Raphaël Dachicourt, because superfluous administrative requests are not limited to sport. Doctors are still faced with requests for certificates from local authorities, nurseries, schools, etc. For daycare, for example, “a certificate of fitness for community life is required for all children since August 2021,” explains a childcare worker. Going against the long-awaited simplification movement.
In Orléans, to combat food waste, the town hall has decided to penalize with a fine of 5 euros the families of students absent without valid justification from the canteen or daycare centers. “The medical certificate for school absences is not compulsory, except for certain infectious diseases. Parents are responsible for their children and are able to make notes of absence. If the school thinks there is abuse, there are National Education protocols,” recalls a general practitioner. “The simplification measures taken are insufficient. There should be a decree listing the certificates required rather than referring to various and varied texts,” concludes Raphaël Dachicourt. “And especially for sick leave certificates, we are pleading for patients to be able to self-declare for sick leave of less than three days, since the waiting period means that they are not compensated by Social Security during this period. “. A request which has so far been met with refusal from companies.
