Diagnosis not to be given on medical certificates at the request of the patient

The Ministry of Health’s press service announced on 25 October that following the ruling of the Pechersky District Court in Kyiv, the Ministry has issued a resolution instructing medical establishments, at the written application of the patient, to not enter the medical diagnosis on medical certificates. The press service said that the existing medical certificate forms would not be changed.

If a person does not wish the information to be provided (in accordance with their constitutional rights), the medical establishment is obliged to comply with this.

The establishment must however give the diagnosis and the code of their illness according to the International Classification of Diseases on the person’s medical records. 

The press service stated that the Ministry of Health had wished to print a new medical certificate form without diagnosis at all, but the Social Insurance Fund for Temporary disability had opposed this considering that it would interfere with the rights and duties of the insured person.

As reported here, this decision follows the successful civil suit brought by Vinnytsa doctor Svitlana Poberezhets against the infringement of her constitutional right to privacy and confidentiality of medical records.