WATCH: B.C. doctors are exploring the idea of having fees for a sick note covered by employers rather than employees. Jeremy Hunka reports
When you call in sick for more than two days, many workplaces require a sick note from the doctor. Very often, medical clinics charge a $10-$20 fee for a sick note.
But a movement is afoot to have the cost of a sick note paid by employers rather than employees.
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“I think employers are burdening the system,” says Dr. Bill Cavers of Doctors of BC. “Requiring medical notes for absenteeism is putting a pressure on the medical system, it’s a putting a financial burden on the patients, and it’s silly.”
The idea came from Nova Scotia where a doctor announced she would charge employers $30 to issue a sick note, arguing that such requests put a strain on the medical system and force potentially contagious patients to leave the house when they normally wouldn’t.
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“If employers want to have this level of administration on patients, on their employees, then they should cover the accrued costs because they’re getting the benefit,” says Cavers.
Doctors of BC will explore the idea further, but businesses caution that increased costs on employers could hurt the economy and put B.C. at a competitive disadvantage.
-with files from Jeremy Hunka
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