GP association in favor of speeding up sick notes by phone
In view of rising infection figures, the GP association has called for a faster reintroduction of telephone sick notes. It is incomprehensible that this has not yet happened, said Markus Beier, Federal Chairman of the Association of General Practitioners (Hausärztinnen- undHausärzteverband) to Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland. In his opinion, sick notes by telephone would have been an urgently needed relief for GP practices this winter.
A law passed by the Bundestag in the summer by Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) provides for sick notes by telephone to be made permanent. The regulation was introduced during the coronavirus pandemic and initially expired in April.
The aim of the new regulation is to ensure that an initial sick note due to an acute illness should not only be possible once in the practice and via video consultation, but also by telephone. The Federal Joint Committee is to draw up a guideline on this by the end of January, according to the federal government's website.
According to Beier, GPs and their practice teams are already working under high pressure to care for all patients. In many places, however, it is becoming increasingly difficult to cope with the rush. This has to do not only with the current wave of infections, but above all with the lack of GPs. Beier missed support from those responsible in politics.
Doctors and patients could significantly benefit from Karl Lauterbach's proposal to make permanent the option for telephone sick notes. The current high workload in GP practices, exacerbated by the shortage of doctors and the rising infection rates, highlights the need for this change.
Source: www.dpa.com
