On the initiative of the Ministry of Health, the Government has approved new instructions for determining temporary incapacity for work and issuing certificates of incapacity for work. The complete transition to a digital format and access to it electronically should remove many issues, including those related to abuses in the issuance of documents on temporary incapacity for work, as well as simplify record-keeping procedures.
The certificate of incapacity for work will be issued by the attending physician, regardless of specialty, exclusively in electronic format. The document will be available online (it will also be possible to print it out on request). The instruction gives the attending physician the right to independently determine temporary incapacity for work and manage the entire process of issuing, extending and finalizing the certificate of incapacity for work, which will eliminate unjustified appeals and visits to the treating institution.
Automatic notification of the employer about the establishment of temporary incapacity for work and the dynamics of the process is also envisaged. There will be digital access of all stakeholders – insured persons, employers and health care providers – to medical certificates through the state platforms: the Inability to Work List Portal, the Civil Administration Portal, the EVO app and the Legal Entities Portal.
Data will be accessed through MPass and information will be exchanged through MConnect. The certificate will be electronically signed, verified with a QR code and issued in accordance with personal data protection standards. Companies will receive information on employee sick leave in real time, which will improve internal organization and predictability of personnel management, especially in the case of short leaves (1-5 days).
Thanks to digitalization, patients will do away with unwarranted visits to the family doctor, when incapacity for work is determined by a specialist physician in the digital system itself, without paper. Physicians will also benefit from a clear and efficient digital process, being personally responsible for medical decisions.
In Moldova, more than 420 thousand medical certificates are issued annually, printing costs exceed 1.4 million lei, and the cost of one certificate is about 3.5 lei. The government decision will come into force on January 1, 2026. The system is planned to be fully launched in spring. By the end of this year, the digital solution will be fully tested to guarantee the quality and functionality of the process, the authors of the digital transformation promise.
