{
  "id": 13054871,
  "title": "‘Please excuse us from writing these notes …’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/please-excuse-us-from-writing-these-notes",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-10-09T07:01:10.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Winnipeg Free Press",
    "slug": "winnipeg-free-press",
    "url": "https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/editorials/2026/10/09/please-excuse-us-from-writing-these-notes"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A new provincial law, effective October 1, bans employers from demanding sick notes from employees unless they are absent for over a week or have called in sick 10 or more times in a year. Doctors Manitoba reports that its members write over 600,000 sick notes yearly, costing the health-care system around $8 million annually. These notes may not even aid sick workers in recovering, as one-third of them are written for symptom-free patients, often considered mere fictions. Doctors argue that eliminating this practice would generate space for an additional 300,000 patient visits and alleviate the considerable paperwork burden. Proponents argue that requiring a note for minor ailments forces doctors to trust symptom-less patients who may spread illness in the doctor's waiting room. The legislation aims to improve access to medical care and optimize healthcare resources.",
  "summary": "It’s a common-sense prescription for the health-care system. The only wonder is that it took so long to happen. On Oct. 1, new provincial legislation came into effect that will […]",
  "key_points": [
    "New provincial law bans sick notes for short absences or frequent calls",
    "Doctors Manitoba writes 600,000 sick notes annually, costing $8M",
    "Eliminating practice could create 300,000 patient visits and reduce paperwork"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}