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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.
Stillbirth Reporting
Colombia
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Colombia
Stillbirth Reporting
Other requirements
Other requirements
Medical Certificate of Cause of Death
Does the law require or request medical certification of cause of death for stillbirths? If yes, does the medical certificate of cause of death used, accord with the WHO MCCD form?
MCCD required and accords with WHO MCCD
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
The Cause of Death for stillbirths should be medically certified in the same way as for other deaths. WHO recommends the medical certification of cause of death of stillbirths using the standard WHO medical certificate of cause of death form.
Yes. Colombian law requires a medical certificate of cause of death to report a stillbirth. Law 9 of 1979 (Arts. 523–525) mandates the completion of a Fetal Death Certificate by the attending physician (or the physician performing the autopsy), including the immediate, antecedent, and underlying causes of death. Joint External Circular 0037 of 2015 confirms that all fetal deaths must be medically certified.
Colombia uses the national Death Certificate (DANE Form D-630), which includes a specific section for fetal deaths and requires physicians to record the cause of death using the same underlying-cause structure as the international WHO certificate. Page 6 of the certificate instructions explicitly states that it follows the international model of the medical certificate of cause of death from PAHO/WHO, with Part I (lines a–d) and Part II for other contributing conditions.
Does the law require that funeral, burial and cremation services request proof of stillbirth registration or reporting?
Unclear
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
In most countries, when a stillbirth occurs in a health facility, the family is offered the option of the health facility carrying out disposal of the stillborn baby or releasing the stillborn baby to the family for burial or cremation. If the family choses to bury or cremate the stillborn baby, the provider of the funeral, burial or cremation service should be required to request proof that the stillbirth was reported to the registrar before final disposition.
Analysis of the legal instruments available to the reviewer did not identify any provisions relevant to this question.
Law Source
Does the law require that health facility or health professional attending a stillbirth provide to the parent(s) a medical record of fetal death, or equivalent document, to facilitate burial or cremation?
Yes
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
If reporting takes place through the health sector only, the health facility should provide a medical record of the fetal death to the parents, if needed for burial or cremation of the fetus.
Joint External Circular 0037 of 2015 confirms that fetal death certificates “are not subject to civil registration” and are only issued physically when parents request a burial or cremation.
