Ontario aims to ease paperwork burden for family doctors
Ontario is taking steps to reduce the administrative load on family doctors. Employees seeking to utilize their three days of provincially mandated annual sick leave will no longer require a doctor's note.
Dr. Sahira Charania and her brother Dr. Hanif Charania, who have been practicing family medicine for more than 30 years, say the amount paperwork they have to deal with has become overwhelming.
- Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
"It just creates a lot of extra stress for everybody, which is unnecessary," says Dr. Sahira Charania.
Both Sahira and Hanif understand that sick notes can sometimes be necessary. The Ontario Medical Association says administrative work by doctors can take up to 19 hours per week.
"It takes time for us to write the notes. More importantly, it may also be taking time away from other people who may need those spots who are truly sick for other reasons, whether it's in the after hours clinic or our daytime office, while other patients are solely coming here for a sick note when they can really look after these health issues on their own," explains Dr. Hanif Charania.
Beyond the three days, employees could still be responsible for providing a sick note, which usually comes with a fee of about $15.
"What if you're sick beyond those three days, what are the rules and what are the rights and obligations of employers and employees anywhere beyond that? And that's where essentially the rules are going to stay the same, which is that an employer does have the right to ask for a medical note," said Alex Lucifero, partner and employment lawyer at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP.
While employers can still request proof of illness, such as self-attestations or pharmacy receipts, some, like Shawna Wilson-Allen, manager at a local business, says she usually never asks for a sick note from her employees, unless they abuse their sick leave.
"I trust my employees, but that doesn't mean that every company trusts theirs," says Wilson-Allen. "So I very rarely ask for a doctor's note unless it's somebody that has an issue with being out a lot. I trust my people when they say that they're sick."
Donald Makori, an employee, criticizes the requirement for doctor's notes, describing it as difficult for individuals simply in need of rest.
"I find it ridiculous that if someone is sick that they have to take time instead of resting at home, take time to get to the doctor, get a note. Even if it's something like they just need a day of rest," says Makori.
With these new changes, family physicians are hopeful it will alleviate the administrative burden on doctors' offices, enhancing efficiency across the healthcare system.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.