Why is your GP not allowed to issue a ‘medical certificate’?
A medical statement is a written statement that contains an opinion about you as a patient and your (medical) suitability or unfitness to do or not do certain things. Examples of this are: being able to work, drive a car, go to school, take good care of the children, travel or be entitled to a parking permit or adapted housing. Such medical certificates may only be issued by an independent doctor, not your ‘own’ doctor. Such a doctor can make his own assessment of your situation. If you give permission for this, that doctor can also request additional information from your treating GP.

Your treating GP should be able to concentrate on your treatment. A good relationship of trust with you is important for this. This relationship of trust can be jeopardized if your treating physician makes a judgment that is unfavorable to you. You and your GP should be prevented from getting into conflict with this. It is also important to you that the assessment is done by a physician who is aware of the specific requirements for assigning the facility you are requesting. Your own GP does not have all the knowledge about this.

What can you do yourself?
You can inquire with the party requesting the medical certificate whether it is sufficient for you to provide a statement about your state of health, possibly in the form of a questionnaire to be completed by yourself. You can request a copy of that part of your medical record that contains certain important facts about your state of health.