Kerala government makes cause of death medical certificate mandatory

The Kerala government has recently mandated the Medical Certification Of Cause Of Death, or MCCD, for all deaths registered within the state. This new requirement, implemented on June 1, follows an order issued on May 28, according to Divya S Iyer, the principal director of the local self-government department (LSGD). The MCCD scheme has now been activated in all 93 urban local bodies, including the four corporations (Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, and Kozhikode) and Alappuzha municipality.

Divya explained that the scope of the MCCD has been expanded due to its significance in public health, including public health policy formation, disease surveillance, medical research, and related activities. In the coming two months, all 940-plus village panchayats are set to follow the same practice.

While the system has been largely smooth, a delay has been observed in certifying deaths that require a postmortem report to determine the cause. The medical certification of institutional deaths flows seamlessly, but there are still some issues to address in regard to certifying deaths at home. A meeting is scheduled to be held with all stakeholders to resolve these concerns.

The MCCD in Kerala is integrated with the Information Kerala Mission, which provides IT services from local bodies. According to official data, Goa is the only state that has achieved 100% implementation of the MCCD.