When Someone Dies Suddenly

1. Notify the police who will then visit the location and conduct their investigations.
2. The officers will send the information to the Coroner’s Court for the Coroner Magistrate, who will request for an autopsy to be performed on the body at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH).
3. The family is then informed by the QEH of the date of the post-mortem. The family member who will be going to the hospital on that date will be required to take their identification card as well as the deceased’s identification card. The pathologist will ask basic questions relating to the individual’s death before the post-mortem is performed.

What Happens After a Post Mortem?

After the post-mortem has been completed, the doctor will write his/her report to the Coroner who then gives permission to the hospital to have the body released to the funeral home of the family’s choice.

When Someone Dies at Home or in a Nursing Home

1. Notify the police.
2. Contact the deceased’s medical doctor if they have been seen by their private doctor within three months prior to their death and enquire of him/her if they are willing to write the medical certificate of death for that individual.
3. Notify the police officers as to the doctor’s intent, and they will then seek permission for you to call the funeral home of your choice to remove the body.

When Someone Dies at the Hospital

1. A medical certificate of death is written by a doctor once he/she is satisfied that the person’s condition has led to his/her death after 48 hours of stay on the hospital ward.
2. An appointment is made at the Medical Death Record Section for the body to be released to the funeral home of your choice. 
3. Always remember to attend with your identification card and the deceased’s identification as well.