North Macedonia to tighten controls on medical leave abuse

North Macedonian authorities are implementing stricter measures to combat widespread abuse of medical leave. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Health Insurance Fund (HIF) are launching joint efforts to monitor and verify sick leave, following reports of individuals using medical leave to travel abroad or work secondary jobs.

Proposed changes include reducing the period for which primary care physicians can independently issue medical leave from seven days to five. Longer absences will require stricter electronic documentation and medical commissions. Additionally, the HIF plans to conduct unannounced home visits to verify that patients are actually resting as prescribed.

Minister of Internal Affairs Panče Toshkovski noted that abuses occur in both the public and private sectors. Previous audits of 80 employees revealed irregularities in approximately 37 percent of cases, with 100 medical leaves deemed improperly issued. Health Minister Sasho Klekovski emphasized that the goal is to prevent fraud and protect the rights of those with serious, permanent diagnoses, such as oncological or autoimmune conditions, rather than to penalize legitimate patients.