To take sick leave, the worker’s “word of honour” is enough

From Monday in Portugal, the worker’s word of honor is enough to call in sick at work. The self-certification for sick leave of up to three days has come into force, with which the government of the socialist Antonio Costa aims to ease the pressure on the national health service. The medical certificate will no longer be required, which will instead be necessary in the event of a prolonged illness. To avoid abuses, the permit “on parole” can only be used twice a year. It will be communicated by telephone or via the online platform to the national health system. And, as was the case before, the first three days of illness will not be paid either by the employer or by the social security. In announcing the measure, the Minister of Health, Manuel Pizarro, anticipated the creation of a “national register” of short-term illness absences, updated daily, to check for any excesses. The ministry estimates them at 700,000 a year and has decided to resort to self-certification to free the consultations from this workload, already burdened by the lack of doctors and the interventions postponed due to the pandemic.