Recognition of Doctors and Dentists for Purposes of Paid Sick Leave

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Minister for Manpower regarding the amendment to the Employment Act 1968 that recognises doctors and dentists registered under the Medical Registration Act 1997 and the Dental Registration Act 1999 respectively for the purposes of paid sick leave, what efforts have been made by the Ministry to educate (i) workers and (ii) employers since it has taken effect from April 2019.

The Employment Act was amended with effect from 1 April 2019 and made important changes to benefit workers, including recognising medical certificates (MCs) issued by any medical practitioner registered under the Medical Registration Act or Dental Registration Act for the purpose of granting paid sick leave.

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices have been working closely with tripartite partners, the National Trades Union Congress and Singapore National Employers Federation, as well as the human resource community like the Institute for Human Resource Professionals and Singapore Human Resources Institute to raise public awareness of the change. This includes the dissemination of guidebooks, newsletters and infographics that detail the change in a simple and straightforward manner. The change is highlighted on MOM’s website as well. The Workright initiative also helps employees and employers understand their rights and obligations respectively under the Employment Act.