Advisor to the Minister of Health Tom Bagdon says that from September 1. after the introduction of the new procedure for justifying missed classes, parents, and sometimes also the administration of educational institutions, began to turn to doctors to justify missed classes.
“We receive signals from medical institutions and doctors that parents have started asking doctors for certificates in order to justify their children’s missing lessons. We remind you that doctors have not issued such certificates for four years, and the fact of visiting a medical institution can be found by patients or their representatives in E. health. We hope for the awareness of parents and educational institutions, because the virus season is approaching, when the need for doctors’ services naturally increases – any additional burden on doctors and other medical workers will only reduce the possibility of timely consultation and help”, says T. Bagdonas.
Family doctors point out that parents can justify five missed school days per month on their own, so before turning to doctors, parents should assess their child’s health and whether they really need a doctor’s consultation, especially at the beginning of the illness, when, for example, the child has a mild runny nose, which may go away on its own after a few days.
“The medical community asks the parents of students to pay attention to the fact that the new procedure allows the parents themselves to justify 5 missed days of school due to illness, so they are asked to use this opportunity when there is no need to consult a doctor due to minor health problems of the child, so as not to lengthen the queue for patients waiting for medical help”. – says Alma Astafjeva, member of the board of the Lithuanian family doctors’ trade union.
From September 1 of this year. a new procedure for ensuring the attendance of general education schools came into force, approved by the order of the Minister of Education, Science and Sports. This procedure provides that parents can justify five days of schooling per month missed due to illness, and if more than five days are missed, confirmation that a person’s health care institution has been consulted must be submitted.
Patients can find confirmation of the visit in the E. health system, the memo prepared by SAM will help them to do this. It is recommended to take a screenshot of the visit description, which shows the details of the visit to the individual’s health care facility (section “Visit”), and submit it to the educational institution in digital format or in print. It is not possible to save the document in PDF format.
SAM also appealed to the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports (ŠMSM) and the municipalities that are part of educational institutions, asking them to additionally clarify the updated procedure for justifying missed classes to school administrations.
On Wednesday, a meeting of representatives of the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Health and Family Medicine and family doctors took place, where it was agreed to spread information more actively to the community of parents. Once the data on GP visits for the month of September is available and can be compared with last year’s statistics, another meeting is planned to discuss the need for additional communication tools.
SAM reminds that doctors no longer issue medical certificates or e-health records to justify missed classes since 2019, when the requirements for patient data protection were tightened.
The Law on Patient Rights and Compensation for Health Damage of the Republic of Lithuania stipulates that all information about the patient’s stay in a health care facility, treatment, health status, diagnosis, prognosis and treatment, as well as all other personal information about the patient, must be kept confidential.
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#Information #parents #students #confirm #visit #doctor
**Interview with Tom Bagdonas, Advisor to the Minister of Health of Lithuania**
**Interviewer:** Thank you for joining us today, Mr. Bagdonas. It seems that the new procedure for justifying missed classes has raised some concerns among parents and educational institutions. Can you explain what prompted this change?
**Tom Bagdonas:** Thank you for having me. The change, implemented on September 1, was aimed at streamlining the process for justifying absences due to illness. While it empowers parents to justify up to five missed school days without needing a doctor’s certificate, we have noticed an uptick in parents approaching doctors for these justifications, which complicates our healthcare system.
**Interviewer:** That’s interesting. You mentioned an increase in these requests from parents. What are the potential impacts of this trend on the healthcare system as we enter the virus season?
**Tom Bagdonas:** Exactly. With the virus season approaching, it’s crucial for us to minimize any unnecessary burden on healthcare professionals. Every visit that could be avoided takes away valuable time and resources from cases that require timely medical attention. We hope parents will take advantage of the new rule and assess their children’s health more critically.
**Interviewer:** Alma Astafjeva, a member of the family doctors’ trade union, has also commented on this issue. How can parents ensure they are using the new rules effectively?
**Tom Bagdonas:** Parents have the autonomy to justify up to five school absences per month on their own. They should evaluate their child’s health condition before seeking medical help, especially for mild ailments that might resolve naturally. Awareness and responsibility on the part of the parents are critical at this time.
**Interviewer:** It seems like technology plays a role as well, especially with the E. health system. What should parents know about this system when justifying their child’s absences?
**Tom Bagdonas:** Yes, patients can confirm their visits through the E. health system. Parents should take a screenshot of the care visit description and submit it as proof to the school if additional days are missed. It is important to follow these guidelines, as saving documents in PDF format is not an option.
**Interviewer:** Thank you for clarifying that, Mr. Bagdonas. What is your message to parents and educational institutions as this new procedure is rolled out?
**Tom Bagdonas:** I urge parents to be informed and proactive, using their capacity to justify absences effectively. Education institutions should also support parents in understanding these new regulations. Together, we can ensure that our healthcare workers are available for those who truly need their assistance.
**Interviewer:** Thank you for your insights, Mr. Bagdonas. It’s clear that effective communication and responsible action from both parents and healthcare professionals are crucial in this new landscape of school attendance.
**Tom Bagdonas:** Thank you for having me.
