Consultation on medical certification
Issuing medical certificates can be a challenging part of medical practice. Along with obligations to the patient and meeting legal requirements, doctors also have responsibilities to a receiving agency such as an employer or an insurer. Where the rights, interests and objectives differ between doctors, patients and the receiving agency, there can be conflict and disagreement.
Our draft Medical certification statement is intended to guide doctors when they complete a certificate. It outlines a doctor’s professional obligations when issuing a medical certificate, and what information to include. It also discusses common situations where doctors may be asked to issue a medical certificate and acknowledges that the information provided will vary depending on the purpose of the certificate.
Our statement is often referred to by employers and other authorities. Our aim is to develop a statement that is clear and informative for these users, as well as for doctors.
To help us achieve this aim, we invite your feedback. You can access further information about our consultation and other related information at these links:
- Consultation paper and questions: Review of our statement on Medical certification [RTF, 798 KB]
- Updated draft statement on medical certification [PDF, 215 KB]
- Existing September 2013 statement on Medical certification [PDF, 196 KB].
Your input is important to us. Please respond to the questions in the consultation paper using the online form . Alternatively, you can email your submission to consultation@mcnz.org.nz.
We look forward to receiving your feedback.
The consultation closes on 6 June 2023.