Starting this month, no doctor will be able to issue medical certificates for driver’s licenses without validating their identity and conducting a prior clinical consultation. The Costa Rican College of Physicians and Surgeons implemented a new measure requiring the use of a double digital authentication system to curb detected irregularities.
According to the College, the provision went into effect on July 1 and is mandatory for all practicing physicians. “Anyone who does not activate verification will not be able to issue the document, as a unique code generated by the CMC application is now required, which must be entered into the Sedimec platform to complete the process,” said Elliott Garita, president of the College.
“Medical procedures cannot become a simple digital process without clinical support. We want to close the door to unethical practices, such as the use of credentials by third parties or without an in-person assessment,” he added.
How does the new control work?
Every time a doctor needs to issue a license certificate, they must authenticate their identity with a unique verification code from the CMC app. This code will only be available to the authorized doctor and will be necessary to complete the process in Sedimec. This makes the procedure completely personal and non-transferable.
For the time being, the measure applies only to medical certificates for driver’s licenses, but the College announced that it plans to extend the system to other documents such as:
Health certificates
Death certificates
Weapons certificates
Aeronautical certificates
50 complaints
According to the College, this decision is not an isolated one. Between January and July 2025, 50 complaints have already been received for misuse of medical certificates.
“This figure reflects a growing trend. In 2024, there were 164 complaints, almost double the number in 2023, when there were 90,” they indicated. Although not all complaints are directly related to license certificates, the College believes there are gaps that must be closed.
In addition to strengthening controls, the measure complies with current regulations, which prohibit issuing certificates without an in-person medical consultation. Both the College’s internal regulations and the decree on teleconsultations establish this.
Risk of Suspension
They also warned that those who provide their credentials to third parties or issue certificates without a clinical consultation may face disciplinary sanctions. These range from financial fines to suspension from professional practice for a period of up to six years, depending on the severity of the case.
With this technological tool, the College seeks to make it clear that medical signatures are neither delegated nor automated. “The goal is to return exclusive control of medical acts to the professional, protect ethics in professional practice, and ensure that each certificate has real clinical support,” Garita emphasized.
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