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GOVERNMENTOFINDIA
MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE
DEPARTMENT OFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3598
TO BE ANSWERED ON13-03-2026
STATUS OFDEATHCERTIFICATION
3598: SHRIJAI PRAKASH:
Will the Minister of HEALTH & FAMILYWELFARE be pleasedtostate:
(a) whether it isa factthat only22.5percentof deathsinthe countryare medically certified;
(b) if so, the detailsthereof;
(c) whether the Government has assessed the implications of the gap in medical certification of
deathsfor public healthand if so, the detailsthereof;
(d) whether the Government proposes to make medical certification of every death compulsory in
the countryinfuture; and
(e)if so, the detailsthereof andif not,the reasons therefor?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OFSTATE IN THE MINISTRYOFHEALTH & FAMILYWELFARE
(SMT.ANUPRIYA PATEL)
(a) to (e) The Office of the Registrar General of India publishes an annual national report titled
“Report on Medical Certification of Cause of Death” based on the data on medically certified
cause of death received from the Office of Chief Registrars of Births and Deaths (CRBDs) of
States/Union Territories as per the National list of Causes of Death based on Revised
International Classification of Diseases (ICD) 10. As per the Report on Medical Certification of
Cause of Death, 2023, the medically certified deaths as a percentage of total registered deaths is
22.0percent.The Registration of Births and Deaths (RBD) Act 1969 (as amended in 2023) strengthens the
legal provisions relating to medical certification of cause of death. As per the legal provisions
undersections 10(2) and10(3) of the Act, everymedicalinstitution, irrespective of ownership, is
required to issue a certificate of the cause of death free of charge for deaths occurring in the
institution, signed by the medical practitioner who attended the deceased during the recent
illness. Further, where death occurs outside a medical institution but the deceased had been
attended by a medical practitioner during the recent illness, the practitioner is required to issue
the certificate of cause of deathfree of chargeto the informant.
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