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Stillbirth Reporting
Ghana
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Ghana
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 not required
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.
There is no requirement for a medical certificate of cause of death to report a fetal death. Registration requires, where possible, a certification from a registered medical practitioner or a midwife who was present at the fetal death or who examined the body that the child was not born alive, but this certification does not mention cause of death.
Does the law require that funeral, burial and cremation services request proof of stillbirth registration or reporting?
Yes
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.
After a fetal death is registered, the District Registrar issues a burial permit. The owner or manager of a burial ground or any other disposition facility must not permit the burial or disposition of a dead body without being presented with a burial permit. The owner or manager of a burial ground or any other disposition facility, including a crematorium, must endorse the burial permit with the required particulars and return it to the District Registrar of the district in which the burial or disposition takes place.
In addition, the owner or manager of a burial ground or any other disposition facility must provide a monthly report to the District Registrar on the details of the burials that took place in the burial ground or disposition facility during that month. This report records the name of the person buried (or indicate “still-born” or “nameless”), the date of burial, the place of death, the registry office where the death was registered, the location of the grave space, the date on which the grave space was granted, and the person who made the grant.
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.
Any person registering a fetal death must provide a written certificate from a registered medical practitioner or midwife who was in attendance when the fetal death occurred, or who has examined the fetus. Alternatively, the informant must provide a declaration to the effect that no medical certificate can be provided because no registered medical practitioner or midwife was present at the occurrence of the fetal death or has examined the fetus. If the District Registrar is satisfied with the certificate or the declaration provided, the District Registrar must register the fetal death and issue a burial permit for the purpose of burial or other disposition of the body.
