Contents:
- How Sick Leave Works in Ukraine Today (Electronic Format)
- Who Can Open a Sick Leave
- How to Open a Sick Leave
- How to Extend a Sick Leave
- How to Check a Sick Leave
A sudden cold, an exacerbation of a chronic condition, or complications after surgery — in such situations, a person primarily focuses on treatment. At the same time, a practical question arises: how to properly arrange a sick leave so that the employer receives confirmation of temporary incapacity for work and there are no problems with payments.
In recent years, the procedure has changed. Today, sick leaves are generated in the electronic healthcare system, and the decision to open them is made by a doctor on the basis of clearly defined medical indications. In this article, we will explain who has the right to issue and extend a sick leave, how this works in practice, and what a patient needs to do to avoid mistakes and delays, and we will also explain how long one can stay on sick leave.
How Sick Leave Works in Ukraine Today (Electronic Format)
Ukraine has introduced an electronic format for issuing sick leaves, which operates through the healthcare system and the registers of the Pension Fund. After the examination, the doctor creates a medical conclusion on temporary incapacity for work, and it is on this basis that an electronic sick leave certificate is automatically created.
The patient does not need to obtain a paper form or pass it to the employer. All data are transmitted between the medical system and the registers automatically, and the document status can be checked in the personal account on the Pension Fund portal.
At the same time, the electronic format does not change the principles of decision-making. A doctor issues a sick leave certificate only if there are medical indications. The mere fact of a visit is not grounds for opening it — a clinical assessment of the patient’s condition is mandatory.
The duration of incapacity for work is determined individually. The period of staying on sick leave for various diseases can differ significantly: for acute viral infections it is usually a few days, while for complications or after surgical intervention it is much longer. The decision depends on the diagnosis, the severity of the course, and the dynamics of recovery.
After the sick leave is closed, the system automatically records the end date of incapacity for work. The employer sees the corresponding status in their account and starts the procedure of calculating payments in accordance with current legislation.
Who Can Open a Sick Leave
The decision on temporary incapacity for work is made by a doctor who has the right to create a medical conclusion in the healthcare system. This may be a primary care doctor or a narrow-profile specialist.
Most often, a patient turns to their family doctor if it concerns acute respiratory infections, influenza, exacerbations of chronic diseases, or minor injuries. In more complex cases, the sick leave certificate is opened by a профильный specialist — a surgeon, neurologist, cardiologist, traumatologist, etc.
It is important to understand: the right to issue it belongs not to the medical institution as such, but to a specific doctor who works officially and has the relevant authority. Without creating a medical conclusion, the sick leave certificate is not generated.
Advice from Oxford Medical specialists: if you are seeing a doctor for the first time or planning treatment at a new clinic, clarify in advance whether the specialist has the right to issue sick leaves.
Can a Private Clinic Issue a Sick Leave
Yes, a private clinic can issue sick leave certificates if it has a valid license for medical practice and operates in the electronic healthcare system. In this case, its doctors have the same authority as doctors of state medical institutions.
What to pay attention to:
- the clinic’s valid license;
- the facility’s operation in the eHealth system;
- the right of a specific doctor to create medical conclusions.
If these conditions are met, the document will be fully legitimate.
Can a Private Doctor Issue a Sick Leave
A private doctor can issue a document only if they are registered as a subject of medical practice, have a license, and work in the electronic healthcare system. In this case, the procedure is no different from issuing it in a clinic.
If, however, a doctor provides consultations without official registration or does not have access to the system, they will not be able to issue a sick leave. Then the patient will have to contact another medical institution to confirm temporary incapacity for work.
How to Open a Sick Leave
.jpg)
In case of worsening health and loss of ability to work, it is necessary to see a doctor on the day symptoms appear or as early as possible. In most cases, it is possible to open a sick leave from the date of the actual examination. Issuing it “retroactively” is possible only in exceptional situations, so delaying a visit may result in the absence of official confirmation of incapacity for work for previous days.
Most often, patients turn to the family doctor with whom a declaration has been signed. In its absence, the appointment may be carried out by an on-duty doctor or a specialist in a private facility who has the right to issue medical certificates.
During the visit, it is usually necessary to have a passport or another identity document. If the visit to the medical facility occurs for the first time, personal data and information about the place of work are уточнюются.
During the examination, complaints, the duration of symptoms, and their impact on the ability to perform professional duties are assessed. Information about medicines taken independently is also taken into account when determining further tactics.
After an electronic sick leave certificate is opened, additional paper certificates are usually not needed. The information is displayed in electronic registers, and the employer is informed about the fact of temporary incapacity for work. In case of technical failures or the absence of data in the system, one should contact the medical facility for clarification.
How to Extend a Sick Leave
A sick leave is extended during a follow-up examination if incapacity for work persists on that date.
What is important:
- to attend follow-up examinations within the time frames specified by the doctor;
- to contact the doctor before the sick leave closing date;
- to report worsening of the condition or the appearance of complications.
Oxford Medical specialists warn: if a patient does not come to the appointment without a valid reason, the sick leave certificate is closed on the established date. Days after the closure will not be officially confirmed as a period of temporary incapacity for work, even if a new sick leave is opened later.
A separate question is how many days of sick leave a family doctor can provide. A primary care doctor can independently extend a sick leave up to 30 calendar days.
If incapacity for work lasts longer:
- the patient is referred to a профильный specialist;
- or the issue is submitted for review by the medical advisory commission.
A medical advisory commission is a collegial body of a medical facility that makes decisions in cases of long-term treatment, a complex course of the disease, or post-operative recovery.
Can Another Doctor Extend a Sick Leave
Yes, an electronic sick leave certificate can be extended by another doctor if the patient consulted another specialist within the same treatment period. The most common situations are:
- a referral from a family doctor to a профильный specialist;
- contacting another medical facility;
- discharge from a hospital and further outpatient follow-up.
The main condition is that the consultation should occur without a break between examination dates. If the patient did not appear before the sick leave closing date and consulted later, the continuity of incapacity for work may be lost. For proper extension, it is advisable to have medical documents confirming previous treatment (a discharge summary, test results, etc.).
Who Extends a Sick Leave After Surgery
After surgical intervention, the period of incapacity for work is determined depending on the type of surgery and the course of recovery. During the hospital stay, the sick leave certificate is issued and extended by the doctor of the facility where the treatment was provided. The closing date or further extension is determined at the time of discharge.
After discharge from the hospital, the sick leave certificate is extended by the doctor who provides outpatient follow-up. This may be a surgeon, a профильный specialist, or, in some cases, a family doctor — if they are the one managing the patient after surgery.
If the recovery period exceeds standard time frames or complications occur, the issue of extension is considered by a medical advisory commission. The commission reviews medical documents and makes a decision regarding further temporary incapacity for work.
How to Check a Sick Leave
After a sick leave is opened or extended, its status can be checked in electronic format. The most convenient way is through the personal account on the Pension Fund of Ukraine web portal.
To check, it is necessary to:
- Log in to the Pension Fund portal (using a qualified electronic signature, Diia.Signature, or BankID).
- Go to the section related to electronic sick leaves.
- Check the document status and the opening and closing dates.
The system displays the main data: the document number, the date of creation, the period of incapacity for work, and its current status (open, closed, ready for payment, etc.).
If the document is not displayed:
- it is necessary to уточнить with the medical facility whether a medical conclusion has been created;
- check the correctness of personal data;
- contact the employer to confirm that the document is displayed in their account (the employer sees the document only after it is assigned the status “ready for payment”).
Checking the status makes it possible to ensure that the sick leave is registered correctly and that no technical errors have occurred that could affect payment calculation.
The information in this article is provided for ознакомления and is not an instruction for self-diagnosis or self-treatment. If symptoms of a disease appear, you should consult a doctor.
Sources:
