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Disclaimer / Limitations
This country’s legal measures were reviewed by our legal staff in consultation with in-country lawyers and/or CRVS legal experts. All efforts were made to ensure the accuracy of the legal analysis, however, if you consider there to be any discrepancies or if there have been changes in the law of the country since our staff last updated the legal analysis, we welcome any additional information or insights. Please contact us via this form.
Cause of Death
Bolivia
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Bolivia
Cause of Death
Compulsory Certification
Compulsory Certification
Compulsory Certification
Does the law require a cause of death (CoD) to register a death?
Yes medical certificate of cause of death required
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
Ideally, every death will have a cause of death (COD) medically certified by a trained physician. However, in circumstances where a medically certified cause of death (MCCD) is not available, the death should be registered without COD information. Cause of death should never be determined by a non-medical professional.
In some countries, an MCCD is a precondition for registering a death. In countries where there are not sufficient health professionals adequately trained in completing a MCCD, and in counries where many deaths occur at home, this can lead to low death registration rates. Policymakers should carefully consider whether an MCCD or COD is required to register a death, or if evidence alone of the fact of death can be submitted to the registrar.
According to Article 48 of the Supreme Decree No. 24247, officers at the Civil Registry will only register a death with a medical certificate of cause of death.
However, in its second paragraph, Article 48 states that in cases where there is no medical professional, the death can be registered by the officer of the Civil Registry after verifying the death of the individual.
According to article 48 of the Supreme Decree No. 24247 officers at the Civil Registry will only register a death with a medical certificate of cause of death, which includes cause of death information. Additionally, according to article 50 of the same Supreme Decree, in cases of accident, violent death, or suspicious death as a consequence of a crime, a foresnics doctor shall certify the death after performing a necropsy or autopsy.
Does the law clearly state who is responsible for medically certifying cause of death, for natural deaths occurring in a health facility?
Yes
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
Legislation should state what entity and person is responsible for certifying cause of death based on the circumstances of the death. For natural deaths that occur in health facilities, the head of the health facility should be required by law to ensure a death is medically certified. Ideally, the certifier of the cause of death should be the physician or surgeon who attended the decedent during their terminal illness, although in countries that lack a sufficient number of medical doctors to staff health facilities, a nurse or other health professional may be trained to certify cause of death.
According to Article 153 of the Code of Medical Ethics and Deontology, the doctor who attended the patient during their last illness, is obligated to issue the medical certificate of cause of death when the patient dies.
Does the law designate a certifier of cause of death, for natural deaths occuring under medical supervision but outside a health facility?
Yes
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
For a home-based death due to natural causes, a certifier may include a doctor, nurse, or other trained health professional who attended the deceased during that person’s illness.
According to article 153 of the Code of Medical Ethics and Deontology, the doctor is obligated to issue a medical certificate of cause of death, when the patient dies of a disease that was being treated by said doctor. The Code does not distinguish between deaths inside and outside health facilities.
Does the law clearly state who is responsible for medically certifying cause of death when deaths are unnatural or suspicious, or otherwise referred to the MLDI authority?
Yes
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
Deaths due to unnatural causes (such as accident, self-harm or violence); man-made or natural disasters; suspiciouos causes, or where CoD cannot be determined by the attending physician should be referred to the Medicolegal Death Investigation (MLDI) authority for medical certification of cause of death. The coroner may be responsible for certifying cause of death in cases of unnatural death.
Article 50 of the Supreme Decree No. 24247 of 1999 states that in cases of suspicious or unnatural deaths, the death must be certified by a forensics doctor after a necropsy or autopsy.
Additionally, article 155 of the Code of Ethics and Medical Deonthology states that in cases in which the medical professional is in doubt about the causes of death, they should order an autopsy.
