From next fall, primary and secondary school students, as well as higher education students, will no longer have to present a doctor’s note to justify certain absences from classes.
The Quebec government announced this on Friday, presenting the measure as a way to reduce the administrative burden on doctors, who have long argued they spend too much time managing paperwork.
For example, Quebec has asked primary and secondary schools to no longer require a doctor’s note to justify an absence of less than five days, nor for so-called “take-home exams.”
However, a medical certificate will always be required for absences at the fourth and fifth ministerial secondary examinations, as these are examinations that are necessary for obtaining the secondary education diploma.
When it comes to long-term absenteeism, schools are given the flexibility to implement their own policies, so that they can continue to request a doctor’s note if desired.
A medical certificate could also be requested for absences from the primary and second secondary ministerial examinations, depending on the policy of each environment, as is already the case.
At a press conference at the National Assembly on Friday, Education Minister Bernard Drainville said he was not afraid of abuse. He determined that in all cases parents must continue to provide the reasons for their child’s absence.
“The automation of asking for a medical certificate will disappear, but the responsibility of both the parent and the school principal will remain,” he said. The parent will have to continue to justify his or her student’s absence, after which the school management will have to take care of this.
“The attendance every day continues. If the student is not present, the student’s parent will be called or the parent has already contacted the school. (…) That is why everyone’s responsibility remains. It’s important to say it. »
In higher education, Quebec is also asking institutions to no longer require a medical certificate for absences of less than five days. They will always be able to do this in the event of longer absences.
750,000 appointments are booked annually
The directive sent to the schools network is part of a series of measures announced by the government aimed at reducing the administrative tasks of doctors, who say they spend 25% of their time filling out paperwork .
On Friday, the Minister of Labour, Jean Boulet, took an extra step by submitting Bill 68 to the National Assembly: “The law is mainly aimed at reducing the administrative burden for doctors”.
This bill prohibits insurers and benefit plan administrators from requiring someone to consult a doctor for reimbursement for, for example, equipment, such as a walking stick, or the services of a physical therapist.
The insurer or administrator would also not be able to require repeated or automatic medical examinations when a person is receiving disability benefits as a result of, in particular, a fracture or occupational exhaustion.
The frequency and relevance of the visits would be determined by the doctor, explained Mr. Boulet, who was at a press conference together with Mr. Drainville, the Minister of Higher Education, Pascale Déry, and the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé.
Bill 68 would also prohibit employers from requiring a medical certificate for short-term absences.
“We think (…) of flu, gastrointestinal complaints, an accident, domestic violence, sexual violence, (…) or care for a child or a parent. (…) These are short-term absences,” the minister explains.
“There is a time limit,” he clarified. If there are more than three absences (of three consecutive days) during a year, the employer can intervene. This therefore keeps the employer’s right to intervene in these situations intact. »
In February, Quebec allowed doctors to choose when to see their CNESST-compensated patients for follow-up and abolished the duplication of the form for long-term care accommodation requests.
Together, these measures will make it possible to free up almost 750,000 additional medical appointments for patients every year, Mr Boulet said.
Mr. Dubé thanked his colleagues and reiterated Friday that the goal is to change the culture in the health care network so that doctors can spend more time with their patients.