BDA Managing Director Steffen Kampeter explains the extension of the option to take sick leave by telephone:

Berlin, December 7, 2023: "The new telephone sick note is a failure of health policy. Born as an instrument of the pandemic, it is now to become permanent. In the most expensive healthcare system in the world, sick notes are to be issued by telephone because politicians have neglected GP care for years. Attempts to explain this seem almost cynical, as the aim is to concentrate on the "really sick". This devalues the quality of a sick note, even though it is the basis for continued payment of wages. This will also have a negative impact on industrial peace, as an examination in a practice has always been the basis for a reliable diagnosis."