Doctor’s note requirement clogs health care system

As a physician practising in this province, I am concerned with the negative consequences of the Ontario government’s action to reinstate the ability of employers to require their employees to provide sick notes for short illness-related absences from work.

I cannot support a policy that risks infecting others in waiting rooms or public transportation when the best treatment available for minor illnesses, like the common cold, is to stay home, rest and recover.

When employers were previously able to require sick notes, my practice would receive a continuous stream of appointment requests for patients needing to supply their employers with sick notes for minor illnesses. This action counters the government’s commitment to “end hallway medicine.”

I would rather be taking care of patients with serious needs, rather than filling out sick notes for people with minor illnesses.

As such, I support the recommendation of the Canadian Medical Association and the Ontario Medical Association not to backtrack on sick notes and reverse the reinstatement of an employer’s ability to require sick notes. Dr. Katie Yu, Brampton