HA launches electronic medical certificates

The Hospital Authority (HA) announced today (Feb. 13) that starting from March 6, all medical certificates (commonly known as sick leave certificates) issued by the HA will fully adopt a digital signature with an electronic version, to replace the traditional manually signed paper certificates.

"The new version of the medical certificate will adopt a digital signature without requiring a doctor to sign manually. The digital signature is of the same legal effect as a traditional manual signature. The digitization of the medical certificate is an important milestone in the development of the smart hospital. It streamlines the process of telehealth services so as to enable the HA to enhance patient satisfaction," the HA Chief Manager (Cluster Performance), Dr. Larry Lee, said.

The digitally signed medical certificate will include the patient's name and any information pertinent to the consultation, similar to the manually signed traditional paper medical certificate.

The electronic certificate will be automatically stored in "My Record" under the HA mobile application HA Go feature "MyHealth". Patients may use it as documentation of their consultations or as proof of sick leave. The electronic copy of any attendance certificates given to patients will likewise be kept in HA Go.

"Electronic certificates can reduce the risk of losing the paper certificate. It is easy for patients to access, thus giving patients a better experience. Also, in the future, if a patient is granted sick leave after a teleconsultation, the patient will receive an electronic medical certificate immediately. It is more convenient that the patient does not need to return to the hospital or clinic to obtain the certificate," according to the HA Chief Medical Informatics Officer, Dr. Joanna Pang.

There will be an encrypted QR code on the electronic medical certificate. By scanning the QR code and inputting the patient's name and sick leave date, the electronic medical certificate can be verified.

The HA encourages patients to opt for electronic certificates in the future. However, the HA will continue to print paper medical certificates with a digital signature, and attendance certificates for patients.