A significant transformation has taken place in the system for issuing documents regarding temporary disability in Ukraine. Patients no longer need to be limited to state polyclinics to obtain an official sick leave certificate. According to clarifications from the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the right to open electronic sick leave certificates (e-sick leaves) now fully belongs to doctors of private clinics and individual entrepreneurs (Sole Proprietors/FOPs).

The form of ownership of the clinic does not matter

The Ministry of Health of Ukraine has clearly stated that the ability to form a medical conclusion on temporary disability (MCVD) does not depend on the type of institution—whether it is state, communal, or private. The key factor is not the existence of a contract with the National Health Service of Ukraine (NHSU), but the professional qualification of the doctor and the presence of the appropriate license.

According to the current regulations, the attending physician can issue an MCVD if they:

  • Have a valid license to practice medicine;
  • Are registered in the Unified Health System (ESOS);
  • Use the functionality of ESOS in accordance with the legislation.

Thus, a doctor from a private clinic or an entrepreneur-doctor has the same authority as a colleague from a state institution, provided the above requirements are met.

How the system works: from the doctor to the Pension Fund

The process of issuing an electronic sick leave has become maximally transparent and automated. After the doctor records the fact of the patient's temporary disability, they form the medical conclusion directly in the Registry of Medical Conclusions within the ESOS system.

Next, the mechanism for automatic data transfer is triggered: the document is instantly transferred to the electronic registry of sick leave certificates, administered by the Pension Fund of Ukraine. It is on the basis of this data that the official electronic sick leave certificate is formed.

Information about the sick leave certificate is sent to the State Register of Mandatory State Social Insurance. Subsequently, this data is displayed in the electronic cabinets of both the employer and the employee, serving as the basis for assigning payments for temporary disability.

Expansion of doctors' rights and new categories of beneficiaries

The Ministry of Health continues to update the rules for working with electronic documents. Previously, the department had already expanded the powers of specialists: now allergologists can independently issue electronic prescriptions under the "Affordable Medicines" program, and doctors of emergency departments have received the right to open electronic sick leaves.

In addition to simplifying access to registration, the payment rules have also been updated. The right to receive 100% of the average salary when opening a sick leave is guaranteed to employees with more than eight years of insurance experience. Also, the full amount of payments is due to certain preferential categories regardless of seniority, including war veterans, victims of the Chernobyl disaster, as well as employees of Diia.City. The full amount of compensation is also due in cases of pregnancy and childbirth or an industrial injury.