KUALA LUMPUR: There is a substantial abuse of medical certificates (MCs) in the country, says the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA).

“This is indeed a great source of concern because sick leave abuses translated into lost ringgit, man hours and an inefficient industry,” said its president, Datuk Dr Khoo Kah Lin, in his column in the latest issue of the MMA bulletin.

Among the most common abuses was to obtain sick leave to attend to personal chores, extend the period of public holidays or annual leave and to avoid attending court cases.

He said a recent survey by the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) had shown that employees in the private sector took an average of 4.2 days of medical leave annually, which was higher than other countries.

In 2007 for example, the MEF estimated that it cost employers around RM2.7 billion a year for employees receiving outpatient treatment.

Khoo also noted here had been much debate recently about the authenticity of the “medical leave” pertaining to politicians who were unable to attend court hearings.

“This kind of incidences had further jeopardised the reputation of the MCs,” he said.

Khoo said doctors were bound by the code of professional conduct issued by the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) – the country’s highest medical profession regulating body – and were liable to be punished if they were found to abuse their authority to issue MCs without proper justification.

The MCs are an important medical document and one should always ensure that only factual information was included while completing it, he said.

 He advised doctors not be pressurised into issuing MCs, because inaccuracies would land them in trouble and thus it was absolutely essential to verify the facts before issuing medical certificates. — Bernama