Sick leave certificates follow strict rules and four basic standards to be valid and issued properly, a medical official has pointed out.
The source told local Arabic daily Arrayah that all sick leave certificates are issued electronically now and they have a barcode for the patient that include the related medical information related to the sick leave and its reasons. The source pointed out that the main standards of issuing this certificate include the physical presence of the person, as it cannot be issued remotely based on virtual medical consultation as is the case with some medical specialties now. The certificate cannot be issued for the past period or the previous day of the patient visit according to the applicable electronic systems. Further, the certificate should be based on the full physical assessment of the patient fitness to report to work or not, and in case of minor as with young students, the parents or legal guardians should be present with the patient in question during the medical checkup process. The source stressed that this is mandatory according to the Qatari legal system and the age of consent starts with 18 years old. Further, parents are the only authorised persons who can provide the medical and health history of their children for medical assessment or examination.
