19 Feb 2019

It is important that a deceased person should be certified dead by a doctor, Minister of Health and Wellness has revealed.

Minister Alfred Madigele said certifying a person dead was under the scope of practice of medical doctors as opposed to any other professionals. “This is entrenched in the training of the health professionals, hence no other professional can carry that function,” he said. Dr Madigele furthermore said according to the Births and Deaths Act, it was mandatory for the issuance of certificate of cause of death to be done by a medical practitioner, saying any other deviation would be contrary to the law. 

Member of Parliament for Mochudi East, Mr Moagi Molebatsi had asked the minister why it was important for a deceased person to be certified dead by medical doctors only, and if he was aware that the situation inconvenienced the deceased’s family as mortuary and ambulance services could not be availed until one was certified dead by a medical doctor.

He also wanted to know what the ministry intended to do to address the situation. Dr Madigele said he was not aware if the requirement inconvenienced the deceased family, saying his ministry provided services that were within its portfolio.  He said in the role of death certification, the doctor’s duty would be to provide the relevant examination of the body and certification promptly.

Dr Madigele said it must be emphasised that the legal and professional requirements had to be fulfilled to ensure that errors did not occur. “I am amenable to engage further to understand and deal with issues relating to certifying deceased bodies and facilitate relatives without delay. Nevertheless, I must emphasise that the current requirement is prevalent in many countries including our neighbouring countries,” he said. ENDS