Starting March 2025, employees in Serbia will no longer need to worry about delivering sick leave certificates to their employers once they are unable to work due to illness. Instead, the confirmation of temporary work incapacity will be automatically sent to the employer through an electronic system, eliminating the need for any additional notification by the employee.
The electronic sick leave system will connect key institutions—including employers, medical institutions, and the National Health Insurance Fund—to streamline the process of initiating and tracking sick leave. Health care professionals will input relevant data into the system, and employers will receive direct information about the start and expected duration of sick leave. This new system will be beneficial for employees as well, as they will no longer need to personally deliver certificates, thus reducing their burden during their time of illness.
Additionally, doctors will enter details regarding the need for follow-up examinations, and if no further review is required, the system will automatically generate and send the documentation to the employer. Employees will not be required to visit medical institutions to finalize their sick leave.
Employers will have access to information regarding when the employee’s sick leave started and its expected duration but will not be able to view the employee’s medical records, ensuring the protection of personal health data.
It is important to emphasize that this system will also serve employed parents who take sick leave due to their child’s illness.
The pilot phase of the system is planned to begin in early 2025, with full implementation expected by March, once health care professionals and employers are able to use this electronic service. This system will also enable better management of sick leave and improved control, minimizing the possibility of errors and sick leave abuses.
There are also plans for further development of the system, including the integration of electronic medical records. This will allow health care professionals to access a complete set of patient data at any time, regardless of where the services were provided. This advancement will significantly enhance diagnostics, preventive care, and overall health care quality.
The digitalization of the sick leave procedure through the new e-sick leave system is expected to offer several benefits:
- Employees will no longer need to worry about submitting sick leave certificates, including when they do not feel well.
- Employers will have immediate access to all necessary information while ensuring the protection of employee privacy.
- If required, the documentation will be sent to the medical commission electronically.
- Medical institutions will benefit from a unified central record of temporary work incapacity, with access to the history and details of insured individuals’ sick leave.
If successfully implemented, this initiative could set a positive precedent for further digitalization efforts in the health care and employment sectors.
© 2025 Zunic Law. All rights reserved. Reposted with permission of Lexology.
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