What is a Sick Note?
A sick note (also known as a medical certificate or statement of fitness for work) is an official document written by a doctor that confirms you are, in fact, ill and unable to attend school or work. It should include the date your illness started and the expected duration it will last.
How Long Can A Doctor Give A Sick Note For?
It depends on how long your doctor believes you need to recover from your illness. In South Africa, doctors can issue sick notes for up to three months at any given time. After this period has expired, if there is still no improvement with regards to your health, then the patient must seek further medical attention from their GP and/or specialist before requesting another sick note from their doctor.
Short-Term Illness
For short-term illnesses such as colds and flu’s where recovery times are usually less than two weeks, a single sick note may be issued instead of multiple ones over several days/weeks depending on the severity of the condition being treated. The length of time specified on these certificates must not exceed 3 months unless otherwise advised by a specialist or healthcare professional who can certify that the individual requires more extended treatment due to their current state of health.
Long-Term Illness
For long-term illnesses such as chronic conditions like cancer or diabetes which require ongoing treatment over an extended period of time, doctors may choose to issue longer lasting sick notes – up to 6 months in some cases – so that individuals can have sufficient rest periods during their treatments without having to worry about running out of leave days at work or missing out on important classes at school because they were too unwell to attend them regularly.
