German doctor criticizes mandatory sick note from day one as medically unsound

Pulmonologist Cihan Çelik, in a guest article for the German weekly 'der Freitag', argues that the government's plan to require a doctor's note from the first day of illness is medically flawed and cynical, especially for healthcare workers. He states that the policy implicitly accuses employees of abusing the system without evidence, and warns that it will pressure people to work while sick. Çelik notes that there is no proof of widespread malingering, as neither health insurers nor occupational physicians nor researchers have found such evidence. The article criticizes the measure as putting all employees under general suspicion and predicts it will lead to increased presenteeism.