The Russian Ministry of Health has reaffirmed its intention to send citizens who take sick leave more than four times in six months to a special medical commission. This decision had previously faced calls for revision from State Duma Vice-Speaker Irina Yarovaya, who subsequently claimed the ministry had abandoned the idea. However, the Ministry of Health maintains that an additional review of frequent sick leave applications will help uncover underlying health problems among citizens.
The Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation has once again announced its plans to amend the procedure for issuing sick leave certificates. This initiative was first publicized in December 2024. The amendments disclosed at that time suggested that doctors, including paramedics and dentists, should check a patient`s sick leave history for the past six months during consultations. If it was found that a citizen had been on sick leave more than four times (excluding cases of caring for a sick relative, rehabilitation, and receiving renal replacement therapy), they would be referred to a special medical commission. This commission would thoroughly examine their medical records and, if necessary, adjust their treatment.
In February 2025, State Duma Vice-Speaker Irina Yarovaya requested Health Minister Mikhail Murashko to broaden the list of exceptions, particularly for infectious diseases requiring isolation or posing a danger to others. She also urged consideration for sick leave taken during pregnancy.
By April, a revised version of the document appeared on the websites of regional health ministries, which no longer included the provision for checking the number of sick leaves. This development reportedly pleased Irina Yarovaya, who, citing Deputy Health Minister Andrei Plutnitsky (with whom she had direct contact), announced that the sick leave issuance procedure would remain unchanged.
However, a recent statement from the Ministry of Health on July 24 indicates that the department has effectively reverted to its original proposal, with no changes even to the list of exceptions.
The ministry believes that increased attention from doctors to frequent sick leave occurrences «will improve the quality of medical care provided to citizens of working age.»
The Ministry asserts that the commission will not only aid in early detection of disease symptoms but also, «thanks to active preventive measures,» help return workers from «risk groups» for specific ailments to professional activity. The Ministry of Health also cited data from the Social Fund of Russia, indicating that this initiative would affect only «about 1% of the total number of sick leave certificates issued.»
Larisa Popovich, Director of the HSE Institute of Health Economics, has consistently supported the Ministry of Health`s proposal. She suggests viewing the initiative not as an attempt to «restrict anyone`s rights» but as genuine concern for public health.
«Yes, it will indeed become more difficult to abuse sick leave without legitimate reasons. And genuinely ill people certainly don`t need to fear being disadvantaged in any way, absolutely not,» Ms. Popovich asserted. «Because if someone takes sick leave so frequently, then their health needs targeted attention. And the Ministry of Health should at least know whom to focus on. People often neglect monitoring their own health, and and with such a tool, they can at least be identified.»
