Balance needed to ensure patients are not denied sick leave if really ill: Doctors

While there may be some black sheep, they say they prefer to err on the side of caution

- Vihanya Rakshika

Several times in the last decade, Sandra (not her real name) took extreme measures to convince doctors that she was ill and needed a medical certificate (MC).

"Some years ago, I dripped redtinted prayer oil in my eyes to make it look like I had sore eyes.

"The doctor diagnosed me with conjunctivitis and gave me three days of MC," said the 34-year-old customer service officer, pointing out that "these days, it is easier to use telemedicine services to get an MC without leaving home or needing to do anything extreme to look sick".

However, she does not consider herself a malingerer. Rather, she feels she needs to take regular breaks because work is too stressful, and the 14 days of annual leave and 14 days of medical leave that she is entitled to are not enough.

While there may be some black sheep, five doctors and two telemedicine providers who spoke to The Straits Times said that most of their patients are genuinely ill.

They said they prefer to err on the side of caution, so they do not deny patients treatment or medical leave, even if there is a chance they are pretending to be ill to escape work or school.

Dr Dana Elliott Srither, founder of telehealth platform Rexmed.io, said that when it comes to giving MCs, doctors rely on their clinical judgment and experience.

In making a decision, there has to be a balance, because patients should not be denied sick leave where warranted, he stressed.