‘It’s actually insane’: German physician criticises new sick leave policy, warns of ‘catastrophic’ results

Amir Amini, a Resident at University Hospital Magdeburg, claimed that Germany’s healthcare system is ill-equipped to handle the new sick leave policy

A physician practicing in Germany has warned that the country’s new sick leave policy, requiring employees to produce medical certificates from day one of sickness, could have “catastrophic consequences”. Amir Amini, a Resident at University Hospital Magdeburg, claimed that Germany’s healthcare system is ill-equipped to handle the increase in footfall that is sure to result from the implementation of the new policy.

A German physician has warned that the country's new sick leave policy could have catastrophic consequences (Representational image). (Pexels)

Germany’s new sick leave policy

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz outlined a package of pension, tax and labour reforms on Thursday. Among the changes, there is now a provision for how workers can avail sick leave.

In an effort to reduce days lost through sick leave, workers would not be able to call in sick by telephone but would require medical certificates from day one.

Physician calls it lunacy

Amir Amini, MD, described the new sick leave policy as “lunacy” in an X post.

“As a physician working in Germany: this lunacy will have catastrophic consequences for all sides: patients and doctors -and businesses,” he said.

Amini predicted that employees will now force themselves to work from office even when they are unwell. Instead of staying home and resting, they will potentially expose colleagues to sickness.

The physician further pointed out that it is “insane” to expect a patient with fever or diarrhoea to see a doctor on the first day of symptoms.

“This will force patients to go to work when they should be staying home and resting, ultimately endangering themselves and others and prolonging recovery times - because it’s actually insane to demand from people with fever or diarrhea to actually physically go and see a doctor on the first day of their symptoms,” he wrote.

Consequences for healthcare system

Furthermore, Amini said, Germany’s healthcare system would suffer from the consequences of the policy.

“This is going to be an absolute nightmare for doctors and emergency departments,” he predicted, warning that hospitals in Germany have “absolutely no capacity” to handle the increased workload.

“There’s absolutely no capacity whatsoever in the German healthcare system for this utterly absurd legislation,” he said.

The Magdeburg-based medical professional claimed that “not a single physician in Germany who thinks this is a good Idea.”

Bureaucratic nightmare

Amini argued that the policy would also create an impossible burden for doctors, who often have no reliable way to verify symptoms such as diarrhoea, nausea or migraines during a consultation.

He said physicians cannot state with certainty that a patient is fit to work when they report such conditions, making the requirement for day-one medical certificates largely bureaucratic. According to him, the added paperwork and appointments would overwhelm doctors' offices and hospitals, divert time and resources from patients who genuinely need urgent treatment and, in the worst cases, could cost lives.

“There’s no way to actually verify or rule out most of the symptoms without massive amounts of time and money going to waste. This is a bureaucratic nightmare in a country that is already in bureaucratic Hell,” he said.

“And it’s going to consume time and energy in doctors’ offices and hospitals and ultimately cost the lives of those who actually need treatment and care.”