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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
Sri Lanka
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Sri Lanka
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?
No
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.
The Births and Deaths Registration Act does not require a medical certificate of death for stillbirths. The Ministry of Health has issued a circular that requires the use of Form B22; however, this form does not contain cause of death information for stillbirths. Therefore, no MCCD is required for stillbirths.
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.
Section 43(1) of the Births and Deaths Registration Act stipulates that "no person" shall bury, cremate, or dispose of a stillborn child unless a certificate has been obtained by one of the following: the registrar, the superintendent of the estate, or the medical practitioner in attendance. However, note that Section 43(1) only applies to stillbirths occurring in certain areas (listed in Part V of the Act) and Part V of the Act is no longer in effect. Therefore, even though the law stipulates that burial cannot take place without stillbirth registration, in practice, only stillbirths that occurred in Part V areas were subject to this provision before Part V areas became obsolete under the law.
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?
No
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.
