REVIEWING MEDICAL CERTIFICATE POLICY FOR HUSBANDS ACCOMPANYING WIVES FOR IVF TREATMENTS AT PUBLIC HOSPITALS

NOTICE PAPER NO. 3432

NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR ORAL ANSWER

FOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON 18 FEBRUARY 2025

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang

MP for Nee Soon GRC

Question No. 7213

To ask the Minister for Health whether the Ministry will reconsider the policy of not requiring doctors to provide medical certificates to husbands accompanying their wives for In-vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatments at public hospitals.

Written Answer

Medical certificates (MC) are issued to patients on medical grounds when they are unwell or unfit for work or school, to allow them to rest and recuperate. In-vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatments are medically invasive, and women are issued MCs for them to take time off work to attend the treatments and get proper rest after. MC may be issued to husbands if they undergo IVF-related tests or procedures themselves. This position remains unchanged since the last time the answer was provided for the sitting on 26 Feb 2021.

Doctors may provide memos to the couple certifying that their patient (the wife) has received IVF treatment. Husbands may share the memo with their employers, who may recognise the importance of spousal support by allowing time-off or providing flexible work arrangements.