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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
Morocco
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Morocco
Cause of Death
Medical Certification
Medical Certification
Compulsory Certification
Does the law require a cause of death (CoD) to register a death?
No
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 countries 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 of the fact of death alone may be submitted to the registrar.
Pursuant to Decree 2.22.218, Article 2, the Certificat de Décès (CdC or death certificate) consists of two parts: an administrative section and section on causes of death. Under Article 3, the administrative section is transmitted to the civil registry to register the death. The cause of death section is used for statistical purposes only. Therefore, cause of death is not required to register a death.
Pursuant to Decree 2.22.218, Article 2, the Certificat de Décès (CdC) consists of two parts: an administrative section and section on causes of death. Pursuant to Decree 2.22.04, Article 25, only a doctor or nurse may complete the cause of death section. The family is never asked for cause of death information.
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
The law should state what person is responsible for certifying cause of death. The certifier may vary, 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.
The certificate de décès (CdD) includes a section dedicated to certifying the cause of death. Per Decree 2.22.218, Article 1 and Decree 2.22.04, Article 25, the CdD can be completed by, amongst others, a doctor or nurse working in a public health facility, or a doctor working in a private health facility. Accordingly, when a person dies in a healthcare facility, a doctor or nurse from that facility will certify and complete the death certificate.
Does the law designate a certifier of cause of death, for natural deaths occurring 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.
The certificate de décès (CdD) includes a section dedicated to certifying the cause of death. Per Decree 2.22.218, Article 1 and Decree 2.22.04, Article 25, the CdD can be completed by, amongst others, a doctor or nurse working at the communal health bureau (BCH). Accordingly, if a death occurs in the community or at home (whether under medical supervision or not), a doctor or nurse from the BCH carries out the certification process.
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?
No
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
Deaths due to unnatural causes (such as accident, self-harm or violence); man-made or natural disasters; suspicious 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 certifier of cause of death should be the forensic physician working with the MLDI authority who conducted the post-mortem examination on the deceased.
Law 77-17 on the Organization of the Exercise of Forensic Medicine, Article 24, requires the forensic doctor working with investigators to draft a report including the probable cause of death, which is sent to the judicial authorities. However, the law does not expressly require the forensic doctor to complete the medical certificate of cause of death. In practice, when an unnatural death occurs the police will contact the Community Health Bureau (BCH) or a medical faculty (in urban areas) to conduct the post-mortem or autopsy and complete the medical certificate of cause of death.
Does the law provide a form to certify cause of death? If yes, does the form accord with WHO Medical Certificate of Cause of Death Form?
Yes the law provides a form for certifying cause of death that accords with WHO standard MCCD Form
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
The WHO international form of Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (WHO MCCD) is the recommended form for recording information regarding cause of death for certification of all deaths, including stillbirths and unnatural or suspicious deaths. There may be modifications to the form including addition of biographical information of the deceased in an administrative section. Countries may also modify the Manner of Death section in Frame B as appropriate for their context; however, the form should always include Frame B, including a manner of death section.
Is the same form used for all types of deaths, including natural deaths and deaths referred to MLDI?
Yes
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
It is recommended practice to use the same MCCD form which should be WHO MCCD compliant) for all types of deaths, including natural and unnatural deaths (and fetal deaths).
