BMJ  2008;336:908-909 (26 April), doi:10.1136/bmj.39559.755660.DB

News

Danish government turns to doctors to tackle rising absenteeism from work

Ned Stafford

1 Hamburg

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The Danish government is concerned about an increase in the number of employees who are missing work because of illness. It has enlisted the help of the Danish Medical Association to devise a plan to help keep people working and to cut disability payments.

A recent study coordinated by the Danish Ministry of Employment calculated that the national cost of missed work because of illness in wages and sick benefits in 2006 was 37bn Danish kroner (£4bn; {euro}5bn; $8bn), or about 2.3% of gross domestic product. Particularly worrisome is the finding that the number of people who take at least 14 weeks’ sick leave rose by 25% in 2007 compared with 2005.

Jens Winther Jensen, president of the Danish Medical Association, told the BMJ that the vibrant Danish economy is facing a labour shortage and that he had discussed the matter with Claus Hjort Frederiksen, the employment minister.

"We have . . . [Full text of this article]


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