Doctors in Norway will receive the highest remuneration for visits that do not involve the prescription of L4 for a patient. On Thursday, the Ministry of Health announced an agreement on this matter with the Norwegian equivalent of the Polish Supreme Medical Chamber. The entire system of remunerating family doctors for consultations provided to patients will change. The new remuneration method provides for three levels of rates.
See also: L4 under the microscope like never before. After changes in regulations, an avalanche of inspections and penalties
The highest salary for non-exemption
According to the new system, a doctor will receive the lowest remuneration for a visit ending with full sick leave. He will receive a slightly higher rate for issuing a partial sick leave, and the highest rate for a consultation after which the patient will not be placed on sick leave.
So far, a doctor received CZK 26 for issuing a sick leave certificate (approx. PLN 10). After the changes, he will receive an additional 50 crowns (approx. PLN 19) for a consultation that ends without issuing a medical certificate. The government argues that the new rates are intended to encourage doctors to more thoroughly assess whether it is necessary to completely exclude the patient from work. The doctor who issues a full sick leave will have to briefly justify this decision in the documentation.
See also: An avalanche of changes in sick leave has begun. There are still a lot of new things ahead of us
In Norway, a patient may be 20, 50 or 80% unable to work, but still remain professionally active, which means partial dismissal. This form of sick leave is to be preferred after the changes.
In this way, the Norwegian government wants to fight the growing sickness absence in the workplace. According to data from NAV – the Polish equivalent of ZUS – in 2024, sickness absence in Norway amounted to 6.8%. and was the highest in 15 years. In the second quarter of this year alone, this meant a total loss of 10.6 million work days. In 2025, this indicator decreased slightly. The government estimates that in 2026 the costs of sickness benefits will reach CZK 67 billion (over PLN 26 billion).
