Starting Monday, Portuguese citizens can get three days of sick leave by simply declaring their illness online or by phone. The move is to ease pressure on the NHS, the government said in a statement, as quoted by AFP.

This measure will not result in any costs for the state or the employer, as the maximum duration of leave corresponds to the waiting period during which the employee does not receive compensation from social security services, the Ministry of Health said.

The regulations are part of a series of “decent work” measures passed by parliament in February to improve workers’ working conditions.

The reform of the Labor Code includes dozens of other measures, such as the expansion of situations that allow remote work or the increase of severance pay.

To get one of these short-term medical leaves, limited to two per year, sick workers can now justify their absence to their employer with a simple self-responsibility declaration on the NHS website. .

One of the aims of this measure, which is aimed at any worker over the age of 16, is to make life easier for users and reduce the burden on family doctors in PMD, as they are the only ones authorized to grant medical leave.

According to the estimates of the Ministry of Health, about 600,000 consultations are planned annually to excuse absences lasting up to three days. (Agerpress)

(article photo: ©Tero Vesalainen|Dreamstime.com)