Electronic Sick Leave (eSick Leave)

eSick leave is issued by the attending physician—the doctor who examines the patient and determines that their health condition does not allow them to perform their work or self-employed activity. It is not possible for one doctor to refer a patient to another doctor solely for the purpose of issuing an eSick leave.

If you are receiving treatment from a specialist (e.g., orthopedist, surgeon, neurologist, dermatologist) for a specific condition and regularly visit them, there is no need to contact a general practitioner for the issuance of sick leave. The responsibility lies with the outpatient clinic providing your treatment.

Temporary work incapacity is determined by the doctor who assesses the insured person’s health condition due to illness or injury, deeming them unable to perform their insured activity (employment or self-employed work under sickness insurance).

The Sick Leave Act does not permit one doctor (such as in a hospital or specialist setting) to determine work incapacity through examination but then refer it to a general practitioner for formal issuance. Only doctors providing emergency medical services are exempt from issuing sick leave themselves.

Additional cases detailing which doctor issues sick leave are specified in § 57 para. 1 of Act No. 187/2006 Coll. on Sickness Insurance, such as during hospital inpatient care or when spa medical rehabilitation is required under public health insurance.

The same attending physician who issues the sick leave also continues to manage it if they are the one treating the patient for the work-incapacitating condition.

Rights and Duties of Temporarily Work-Incapable Insured Persons

Under §64 of Act No. 187/2006 Coll. on Sickness Insurance, a temporarily work-incapable insured person must:

Follow the prescribed regime of temporary work incapacity.
Permit compliance checks by the sickness insurance authority and employer and provide necessary cooperation. The insured person must state their location during incapacity and present proof of temporary work incapacity upon request.
Attend required health condition assessments with the attending physician or relevant sickness insurance physician.
Inform the sickness insurance authority (or employer, if they perform the check) of any absence from their stated location during compliance checks by the following working day.
Notify the attending physician of their place of stay at the onset of temporary work incapacity and request permission in advance for any change in location.
Report any changes to their previous employment or insured activity data to the attending physician.
Inform their employer immediately about the decision on temporary work incapacity, including the document ID, duration, and location details. For the first 14 days, inform the employer of changes in the place of stay or adjustments to authorized walks.
Attend, within 7 days, a medical examination requested by the employer or occupational health service provider to assess fitness for work and cooperate with the examination.

Source:

Act No. 187/2006 Coll., on Sickness Insurance (as amended)