Over the past weeks this newspaper and its Sunday sister has carried several reports that point to abuse in sick leave benefits.

We have had the secretary general of the Union Haddiema Maghqudin, Gejtu Vella, saying that there are MPs who are doctors who issue sick leave certificates when they know that their client is fit for work. We have had Nationalist MP Jean Pierre Farrugia, one of the eight MPs who are doctors, replying that MPs should not be singled out and that doctors are not the only professionals who are responsible for such an abuse.

The other seven MPs have remained silent.

For its part, the Malta Employers Association has said that after summer it will be holding a survey to find out the average number of sick leave days taken by employees. The last time it was held, in 2004, such a survey showed that public service officers take an average of 10 sick leave days each year, while employees in the private sector take five.

This result, in itself, is already an indication that there is more abuse in the public service than in the private sector. It is not possible that civil servants become ill more than their private sector counterparts. What these results show is that there is more leniency in the public sector, whereas employees in private firms think it over twice before phoning up to say they will stay at home simply because many companies send their own doctors to check whether this is true.

Of course, this does not mean that it is only public sector employees who are cheaters. There are many private sector employees who take the risk.

What is apparent is that while there are many genuine cases of people who are sick and need support, there are many others who simply consider their sick leave entitlement as an addition to their vacation leave. Knowing that they have 12 sick leave days per year that are paid in full, they utilise them as if they formed part of their 24-day vacation leave package.

Last year, the number of sick leave claims to the Social Policy Ministry reached more than 126,000, a 20,000 increase over 2007. This meant that nearly E6.5 million were paid out in benefits, up from E6.28 million the previous year. On average, the government paid out nearly E50 per claim.

What is sure is that so many days of production are lost because of abuse of the system and, with Malta being a country that relies solely on its human resources, this situation is costing the nation hundreds of thousands of euros.

Added to the 24 days of leave and the 14 national and public holidays, which already mean that employers are paying nearly two months’ wages without getting anything in return, sick leave abuse is another blow to the economy.

While employees should be the first to avoid calling in sick when they are not ill, doctors should also play their part in curbing the abuse. They should not freely sign sick leave certificates when they know that their client is fit to work.

Companies, on their part, know their employees more than others and if someone takes sick leave once every year or two, they should not send the company doctor to check. But they should certainly do so if they notice a pattern – that is when employees take sick leave on a regular basis.

It is also hoped that the Medical Association of Malta keeps a watchful eye on the situation. MAM has a duty to protect its members’ interests, but it should also insist that they do not become accomplices in the abuse for a few euros.