Medical leave certificates become exclusively digital in Moldova starting March 1

Starting March 1, 2026, medical leave certificates will be issued exclusively in digital format in the Republic of Moldova. The measure was announced by the Ministry of Health and the e-Governance Agency, together with the launch of the Information System “Portal for Medical Leave Certificates” (SIPCCM).

The new digital platform aims to modernize the process of determining temporary incapacity for work by digitizing the issuance, management, and transmission of medical certificates. The documents are issued by family doctors and specialist doctors exclusively in electronic format, eliminating the need for patients to return in person to obtain paper-based documents.



Healthcare providers will issue, extend, and close certificates via esanatate.gov.md. Data will be transmitted automatically to employers and to the National Social Insurance House, enabling real-time notifications regarding the initiation, extension, or termination of medical leave.

The authorities specify that the information will be accessible on EVO platform and will be visible to administrators and authorized persons. Thus, employees will no longer need to physically deliver documents, while employers will have rapid access to the data required for internal records and for processing allowances.



 


“The automatic notification of the employer regarding the initiation, extension, or closure of the medical leave certificate is an important step in the digitalization of health services. We know that digital transformations require adaptation. That is why the implementation of the portal is accompanied by information activities, guidelines, and technical support for medical staff. We want this transition to be clear and predictable for all stakeholders. The system’s main messages are the following: for patients – faster and more predictable access to services; for doctors – reduced administrative burden and more time dedicated to medical care; for employers – simple and unambiguous verification of medical certificates; for the state – traceability, institutional integrity, and concrete, accurate data for evidence-based public policies. The new system is fully integrated with existing government platforms, complies with security and data protection standards, and is part of the objectives of the National Program for Digitalization and Innovation in Health 2025–2030. This project is the result of interinstitutional collaboration between the Ministry of Health, the e-Governance Agency, the National Social Insurance House, and technology partners. We are convinced that this initiative will bring real benefits to health professionals, the business environment, and every citizen who uses this service,” State Secretary of the Ministry of Health Andrei Romancenco said.






For her part, the Director of the e-Governance Agency, Nicoleta Colomeeț, noted that the digitalization of public services helps reduce bureaucracy and simplify interactions between citizens, institutions, and the business environment.


“We reaffirm our commitment to institutional collaboration in building a digital, proactive, and efficient state that works for the benefit of every citizen. This is being achieved both through the Digital Transformation in Health Program and through the National Digitalization Program, which aims to ensure that by 2030 we have 100% digital services and interactions.


One of the objectives of the e-Governance Agency is to support state institutions in simplifying and streamlining processes. The launch of the new portal for managing and issuing medical leave certificates represents a cornerstone for a faster and more efficient health system.


“It offers citizens and employees tools that make their lives easier and reduce unnecessary visits to service counters. After the success of the automated registration process for birth and death events, which reduced the number of trips to only one, we are now streamlining the flow of medical certificates. Each patient can focus on treatment, going to the doctor only for the initial and final check-up. Each employer receives automatic notifications and immediate access to information about certificates, while doctors benefit from a portal integrated into the digital medical ecosystem, using existing infrastructure. We are changing the paradigm in the Republic of Moldova: data move and work in favor of citizens. The medical certificate is issued, extended, and closed directly in the portal, completely eliminating paper after being signed with the doctor’s electronic signature. The information reaches the employee, the employer, and the National Social Insurance House automatically. Thus, the citizen is no longer the ‘postman’ of documents, and employers no longer wait for paper. It is important to emphasize that all changes appear in the doctor’s cabinet application, and the certificate confirmation can be downloaded and verified via a QR code. Therefore, even though the system is 100% digital, the information can also be generated in PDF format for user convenience, with automatic validation. We know that over 95% of citizens prefer digital services and experiences to traditional counter-based ones. This motivates us to continue supporting institutions in their digital transformation. For example, in just the first months of this year, the online purchase of health insurance policies through the EVO application has almost doubled compared to last year, with over 1,000 policies already purchased and validated digitally. The medical certificates portal marks a dynamic and proactive beginning in the interaction between the citizen, the government, and the health system. A stabilization period will follow, during which we will work closely with the Ministry of Health and other institutions to monitor system performance and implement necessary improvements. In the near future, we will facilitate the direct connection of large employers for integrating data into their own systems and encourage all employers to use the platform to delegate certificate administration, so that managing them does not become a burden for a single administrator. Step by step, we will reduce bureaucracy and build a more efficient digital system that works for everyone’s benefit. At the citizen’s request, the medical certificate can be printed by the doctor or downloaded from the system and is equipped with a QR code for authenticity verification. The development costs of this program exceeded 1.2 million lei,” Colomeeț stated.


The system’s implementation is based on the new instruction on determining temporary incapacity for work and issuing the medical leave certificate, approved by the Government in October 2025, and is part of the objectives set by Government Decision No. 556/2025 on the approval of the National Program for Digitalization and Innovation in Health for 2025–2030, a strategic document that defines the digital transformation directions for the health sector.

Digitalizing this process is essential in the context in which over 420,000 medical leave certificates are issued annually in the Republic of Moldova. Printing them generates costs of over 1.4 million lei per year, while manual processing can take between 15 minutes and one hour for each case.

The new portal ensures the continuity of certificates issued in the old portal by including an indicator of the previous certificate, so that the full history of medical leaves is preserved. The transition to the new platform is carried out without affecting the rights of insured persons or the validity of certificates already issued.

The portal will continue to be developed and strengthened on an ongoing basis, and users can send questions, complaints, or suggestions to esanatate@ms.gov.md.