Germany's sick leave reform sparks fierce clash between minister and doctors

Andreas Gassen, head of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV), has rejected Health Minister Nina Warken's (CDU) proposal for partial sick leave. "We consider this a completely absurd approach," Gassen told the Rheinische Post (Tuesday edition). "Everyone is talking about cutting red tape—yet this rule would do the exact opposite."

Under a partial sick leave system, doctors would "essentially have to write a detailed assessment, examining countless specifics of the patient's employment," Gassen explained. "They would need an in-depth understanding of the workplace and working conditions. How on earth are they supposed to manage that—roll the dice?" he asked. "And all this while their own pay is being slashed left and right. It doesn't just sound like a bad joke—it is one."

Instead, the KBV chief reiterated his call for waiting periods before sick pay kicks in. "Let me remind you of our proposal: expand waiting periods and only require a doctor's note from the fourth day of illness. That alone would save an estimated €300 million a year. That would be a real step toward reducing bureaucracy," Gassen said. Waiting periods refer to days of sickness when employees receive no paid leave.

Warken's draft legislation (§44c) would allow doctors to certify "partial incapacity to work at 25, 50, or 75 percent of the insured person's regular weekly working hours." A similar system already exists in Sweden.