OFPPT medical checks face new safeguards under Mediator guidance

The Office of Vocational Training and Promotion of Employment (OFPPT) may establish medical checks to verify short-term sick leave, but the procedure must follow safeguards to protect employees’ rights and health data, according to an advisory opinion from Morocco’s Mediator.

The Mediator issued the opinion after being consulted by the OFPPT on the conditions governing such checks. The institution said the doctor responsible for the assessment must remain independent and called for a clear separation between the medical evaluation and any administrative decision that the OFPPT could take on its basis.

Medical confidentiality and the protection of personal health data are central to the proposed framework. Employees must also receive clear information about the procedure, understand its conclusions and have access to avenues for challenging decisions linked to the process.

The Mediator also stressed that the findings of a medical check should not automatically trigger administrative or financial consequences for an employee. Any measure affecting the employee’s status must follow a procedure that provides appropriate guarantees before a decision is taken.

The advisory opinion contains 11 recommendations covering the regulatory framework, procedures, protection of employee rights and monitoring of the system. The Mediator also encouraged the OFPPT to place the mechanism within a broader absence management policy focused on prevention and improving working conditions rather than relying only on disciplinary measures.