Patients suffering chronic illness will no longer need a weekly doctor’s certificate to receive social benefits, Social Solidarity Minister Michael Falzon said today.

Addressing a press conference, Dr Falzon announced two bureaucracy reduction initiatives introduced as part of the ministry’s key performance indicators.

The first sees the ministry do away with weekly medical certificates, which he estimated, will save patients having to get their hands on around 10,000 doctors’ certificates every year.

“Not to mention, the department will be freed up from having to process all of these certificates,” he said.

Patients would now have to appear before a routine medical board to be entitled to sickness benefits, and would be obliged to present a cancellation certificate once they are no longer ill.

Asked how the government would ensure patients would not abuse of the new system by simply not applying for a cancellation certificate, Dr Falzon said beneficiaries would routinely appear before the medical board which would strike off any abusers.

The second initiative introduced has seen the end of repetitive renewals of pink slips which entitle users to a range of medicals.

The slips will be renewed for heads of families who are entitled to non-contributory benefits.

Dr Falzon said he hoped to save the roughly 6,000 pink slip users on 80 per cent of the roughly 13,000 visits made to district offices to renew the documents.

Dr Falzon said drug control cards- known as pink cards, will now be issued electronically. This is estimated to save on around 25,000 cards printed every year.