On May 24, 2025, Law No. 21,746 was published in the Official Gazette. The law amends Law No. 20,585 on the issuance and use of medical leaves, with the objective of strengthening the supervisory powers of SUSESO and COMPIN, and establishing new administrative and criminal sanctions.

Key aspects:

• Issuance of medical leaves: Only licensed medical doctors, dental surgeons, and midwives registered in the National Registry of Healthcare Providers may issue medical leaves. Additionally, physicians who graduated after April 2009 must have passed the EUNACOM exam.
• Electronic format: As a general rule, medical leaves must be issued electronically.
• Oversight: The powers of COMPIN and SUSESO are reinforced, including the ability to sanction the issuance of unjustified medical leaves.
• Sanctions: Administrative sanctions include fines of up to 600 UTM, suspension or cancellation of authorization to issue medical leaves, and removal from the professional registry. Criminal sanctions apply for the fraudulent issuance or use of medical leaves, with penalties including imprisonment and fines of up to 1,000 UTM. Institutional providers may also face joint and several liability.
• Public registries: SUSESO will publish the sanctions imposed, which must also be made public by healthcare providers. In addition, SUSESO will publish average figures for medical leave issuance per professional.

Relevant deadlines:

• Effective date: May 24, 2025
• SUSESO must issue implementation rules by: July 24, 2025
• Mandatory provider registration by: August 22, 2025
• EUNACOM requirement effective from: May 24, 2026