Do you have to have a post mortem if you die in hospital?

A post-mortem examination, also known as an autopsy, is the examination of a body after death. The aim of a post-mortem is to determine the cause of death. Post-mortems are carried out by pathologists (doctors who specialise in understanding the nature and causes of disease).

Can you refuse autopsy in India?

If a post mortem is requested by the hospital, written consent must first be obtained either directly from the patient before death, or from the deceased’s next of kin. The patient or the next of kin can refuse consent for a hospital post mortem and it cannot be carried out if consent is withheld.

What types of deaths do the medical examiners investigate?

Medical examiners and coroners are responsible for investigating all instances of human death by homicide, suicide, accident, injury, hazardous substance, or during custody, or if unattended by a physician, or if otherwise sudden or suspicious.

What happens when someone dies in hospital?

If the deceased has died in a hospital and you are the named next of kin, the hospital staff will inform you. You may be asked to sign formal documents so the belongings of the deceased can be given to you. You will be asked to contact a funeral director who will arrange to collect the deceased from the hospital.

Do all deaths require an autopsy?

No, in fact, most people do not get an autopsy when they die. In cases of suspicious deaths, the medical examiner or coroner can order an autopsy to be performed, even without the consent of the next of kin. An autopsy can also help provide closure to grieving families if there is uncertainty as to the cause of death.

Who can do postmortem in India?

In most of Telangana’s 103 hospitals, post-mortem examinations (PME), so vital for the justice system, are conducted by gynaecologists, anaesthetists, obstetricians, general physicians or doctors from other disciplines – not by actual forensic medicine specialist doctors.