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Created by the Public Governance Directorate

This website was created by the OECD Observatory of Public Sector Innovation (OPSI), part of the OECD Public Governance Directorate (GOV).

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Online filing of sick leave by individuals.

Innovative response

An increased workload for family doctors and the health sector as a whole means that getting in touch with a doctor may be more difficult; those in need of filing an official sick note (Haigusleht) with employers can do so via the Patient Portal.

Entries into the patients' portal will be forwarded to the Health Insurance Fund and the individual's employer and family doctor; the record is also automatically opened and the individual will be contacted by the family doctors' center within a week to clarify their state of health and any presenting symptoms

Specific issues addressed and anticipated impact

Sick leave can be taken by working people who are sick, as well as those caring for a sick child or family member or dependant, and this continues to apply to all illnesses. There are also options to take sick leave if a person is likely to have been exposed to coronavirus but symptoms have not yet developed.

This will relieve the pressure from medical workers to fill in applications themselves and they can now just provide oversight and confirmation of actual sick leaves instead of filling in and filing themselves.

Organisations/institutions involved

Health and Welfare Information Systems Centre; Health Insurance Fund; Family Physicians Association of Estonia

Potential issues

There still remains a need to deal with false claims, however the immediate pressure from medical workers can be relieved.

Level(s) of government:
  • National/Federal government

Issues being addressed:

  • Patient care
  • Health and safety of responders
  • Governance responses
  • Public service delivery under new circumstances

Response contact:

[email protected]

Response tags:

Date Submitted:

11 April 2020