This photo taken on Feb 4, 2020 shows patients waiting to see the doctor at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Jordan, Hong Kong, south China. (CALVIN NG / CHINA DAILY)

HONG KONG – The Hospital Authority (HA) announced Monday that, starting March 6, all sick leave certificates issued by the HA will fully adopt a digital signature with an electronic version, to replace the traditional paper certificates.

HA Chief Manager (Cluster Performance) Larry Lee said the new version of the medical certificate will adopt a digital signature without requiring a doctor to sign manually, according to an HA statement.  

The HA said the electronic certificate will be automatically stored in "My Record" under the HA mobile application HA Go feature "MyHealth"

“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,” Lee was quoted as saying in the statement.

“It streamlines the process of telehealth services so as to enable the HA to enhance patient satisfaction," he added.

The HA encouraged patients to opt for electronic certificates while adding that it will continue to print paper medical certificates with a digital signature, and attendance certificates for patients.

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Like the traditional paper medical certificate, the digitally signed medical certificate will include the patient's name and the information relevant to the consultation.

The HA said the electronic certificate will be automatically stored in "My Record" under the HA mobile application HA Go feature "MyHealth".

The HA added that patients can use it for a sick leave application or as a proof of consultation. For those patients issued with an attendance certificate, the electronic version will also be stored 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,” said HA Chief Medical Informatics Officer Joanna Pang.  

“Also, in 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," she added.

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The HA said there will be an encrypted QR code on the electronic medical certificate, which can be verified by scanning the QR code and inputting the patient's name and sick leave date.

The HA encouraged patients to opt for electronic certificates while adding that it will continue to print paper medical certificates with a digital signature, and attendance certificates for patients.