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Berlin – FDP leader Christian Lindner is calling for the abolition of telephone sick notes. “In the future, people will have to go to the doctor again to report sick and will not be able to do it simply by telephone,” said the Federal Finance Minister at an event organized by the Association of the Chemical Industry (VCI) in Berlin.

He did not want to accuse anyone of exploiting the regulation, but unfortunately there was “a correlation between the annual sick leave rate in Germany and the introduction of the measure, which was intended as a good way to reduce bureaucracy.”

The option of obtaining a sick note over the phone was introduced during the coronavirus pandemic. In December 2023, the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) decided on a permanent regulation. Patients can then obtain a sick note over the phone if they are known to the practice and do not have any serious symptoms of illness.

As part of its economic growth initiative, the federal government has agreed to review the measure due to the increased level of sick leave. Lindner also announced that he would lobby the next chancellor to abolish the solidarity surcharge.

It is essentially a “special tax on exactly what we need for growth, namely: commitment, qualifications, entrepreneurial risk, private investment”. With the necessary political will, a gradual abolition is possible within the framework of the debt brake, despite record investments. © dpa/aerzteblatt.de