The doctors' union is annoyed at a claim by Employment and Training Corporation chairman Clyde Caruana that medical certificates can be bought for €10.
Mr Caruana, who oversees the government’s free childcare scheme, made the claim when asked by the Times of Malta why medical certificates were not always accepted as proof of illness when children fail to attend the free government childcare service.
“The Medical Association of Malta is disappointed at the insinuations by the ETC chairman that sickness certificates are not ac-cepted because ‘they can be obtained for €10’, putting a blanket statement on all conscientious medical practitioners.
“While it is understandable that measures are taken so that a valuable social service such as free childcare is not abused and also kept cost effective, it is incorrect not to accept sickness certificates across the board.
This is of dubious legality, to say the least
“This is of dubious legality, to say the least, and contrasts sharply with what the Education Minister is reported to have stated: that 15 per cent justified absence is accepted,” the association’s general secretary Martin Balzan said.
Dr Balzan said such a statement sends out the wrong message to parents, who may feel pressured to send their children for childcare when sick.
“It indirectly suggests to parents to send their children for childcare even when they are sick to the detriment of other children as correctly noted in the Times of Malta.
“Perhaps ETC could adopt a verification process similar to that applied by many employers and the Education Ministry in schools, following an established procedure as approved by the medical council rather than go down the road of antagonising parents and medical professionals alike,” Dr Balzan said.
Last week this paper reported that parents of children who were absent from childcare centres for several days have complained of receiving exorbitant bills, saying medical certificates were often being refused.
Education Minister Evarist Bartolo said in Parliament on Monday parents would only be charged for the service if a child attended less than 90 per cent of the booked childcare hours and exceeded the 15 per cent absence allowance.
He said it was the childcare centres and not the government that were issuing the bills.
According to the information tabled by Mr Bartolo, 848 children exceeded this absence allowance.
In reaction to the story, Mr Caruana told this paper that 83.3 per cent of parents using childcare did not exceed the entitled sickness balance.
“It is to be further clarified that hospital interventions certificates are accepted as a justification for sickness.”
Bills received by parents exceeding the established threshold are accounted for and explained.
“The government is committed to ensure it provides fair and quality services to the public while regulating any form of abuse,” Mr Caruana said.