Death Registration
Mozambique
Declaration and Notification
Informants
Who is designated as the primary informant for natural deaths that occur in a health facility?
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
Law Source
Mozambique Legal Analysis
Where a death occurs inside a health facility, the death must be declared by the relative of the deceased who is present, or the administrator or director of the establishment.
Law Source
Who is designated primary informant for natural deaths occurring outside a health facility?
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
Law Source
Mozambique Legal Analysis
Head of the household or nearest relative is the designated informant.
Law Source
Who is designated primary informant for unnatural or suspicious deaths?
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
Law Source
Mozambique Legal Analysis
Where there are signs of violent death or suspicion of crime or when the doctor declares ignorance of the cause of death, Article 238 requires the civil registrar to abstain from registering the death and to immediately inform judicial or police authorities to conduct an autopsy and investigation. Impliedly, this suggests that medicolegal authorities must take over, instead of the usual informants.
Law Source
Role of the health sector
What is the role of the health sector in death registration for deaths occurring in health facilities?
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
Law Source
Mozambique Legal Analysis
Deaths must be certified by health professionals, with evidence of a medical certificate of death. In the absence of one, the registrar must request one from the local health authority who must verify the death and issue the certificate.
Law Source
What is the role of the health sector in death registration for deaths occurring outside health facilities?
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
Law Source
Mozambique Legal Analysis
A medical doctor must still verify the death. However where this is impossible, the certificate may be replaced by a record drawn up by administrative or police authority with two witnesses, stating that the death was verified and whether there are signs of violence. This is then sent to the doctor or health authority to classify disease/ cause of death and issue the medical certificate of death.
Law Source
Roles of other institutions
What role do local leaders or local authorities have in death registration?
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
Law Source
Mozambique Legal Analysis
Other institutions play a role in death registration in the case of an abandoned corpse. Directors of hospitals, prisons and similar establishments also have a notification role to play where relatives are not present or unknown.