What is a medical certificate?
A Medical certificate for leave is a documentary proof which certifies a patient’s sickness or ailment after being examined by a physician. The certificate can also be considered as a report that shows the results of the patients’ consultation with a physician or any other doctor regarding his or her medical requirements. Medical certificate is required for various reasons like:
- Medical certificate for sick leave
- Medical certificate for school
- Medical certificate for student
- Medical certificate for visa
- Medical certificate for driving license
- Medical certificate for Fitness
- For Employment
It is a legal document issued by a practicing doctor to authenticate the medical condition. As shown above there can be various reasons for issuing such certificates.
Medical certificate for leave is required when the reason for absence is health related. This is generally required for processing leaves in Corporate Organisations and Educational institutes.
The document is important because it is being signed by a registered Doctor which substantiate the genuineness of the leave.
Medical certificate for leave is required in many schools and colleges as they have requirements to attend minimum number of days to qualify for the exams. If the student fails to attend the required number of days, then the reason for absence must be justified. The certificate acts a proof for the student sickness and the absence is approved by authorities.
They are also required while issuing Driving license.
Medical certificate Format
There is no strict format for a normal Medical certificate but in general it should include the following:
- Patient Name
- Doctor Name
- Illness patient is suffering
- Dates when patient was ill
- Signature of patient
- Signature and seal of Doctor
- Place of Issue
- Date of Issue
We have included the common formats at the end of the article. You can print them and use it as required.
Criteria for issuing medical certificate for leave
- The certificate should be written in a legible text by the doctor himself, and no medically technical words should be used.
- It cannot be based solely on what the patient feels. It should always be based on the doctor’s observations and whether he agrees with the patient or not.
- No information is to be disclosed without the consent of the patient as the ‘rights to confidentiality’ are respected.
- Falsifying a medical certificate is a deemed to be a form of fraud.
- It should be noted that the patients can return to their normal schedule and if any changes are necessary then they should be stated clearly.
- The certificate can be issued after the patient has taken leave however the duration of the sickness, the date of observation and the extent of the sickness must be clearly mentioned.
How to get a medical certificate?
A medical certificate can be issued by any registered and practicing doctor.
The Doctor can be a from a Government Hospital or a private hospital/clinic. The doctor does an examination and then issues the certificate accordingly. Some organizations have their own in-house doctors to verify the medical conditions of their students or employees and in those cases, the medical certificate should be issued from the in-house doctor’s only.
The certificate can be obtained from any doctors however the government doctors are generally preferred because they can be held accountable easily.
Submitting or Obtaining a fake medical certificate?
Submitting a fake certificate or a document is always discouraged. Medical certificate is as mentioned above is a legal document and organisations rely on them. It is advisable to always get a genuine medical certificate to make sure that you do not get in to trouble.
There have been many instances where the individual who submitted the fake certificate has been dismissed and even the doctor who verifies it may lose his medical license.
