The Singaporean Death Guide #2 - Death At Home

What to do if you are with someone who dies at home and during office hours?

Contact your family doctor who has been attending to the deceased. If the family doctor is able to certify the death, he will issue the CCOD on the spot. If he is unable to certify the death, call the Police for the body to be sent to the Centre for Forensic Medicine (CFM) Mortuary (located at Block 9 Singapore General Hospital) in a Police Hearse. The family will be told by the Police when to go down to the CFM Mortuary (usually the next day).

If you do not have a family doctor, contact the Police who will come to your house. The Police will contact the Forsensic Death Investigator (FDI). The FDI will come to your house to certify the cause of death. If cause of death can be certified, the FDI will issue the CCOD on the spot. If death cannot be certified, the Police will arrange for the body to be sent to the CFM Mortuary in a Police Hearse. The family will be told by the Police when to go down to the CFM Mortuary (usually the next day).

* Office Hours refer to : Mondays to Fridays (0800 to 1630)
Sat, Sun and Public Holidays (0800 to 1230)

What to bring to CFM?

- All medical documents relating to the deceased
- All medicine consumed by the deceased
- Identification papers of the deceased and informant e.g. NRIC/ Passport/ Certificate of Registration of Birth/ Fin Card

On engaging a funeral director, kindly refer to step 2 and 3 of the previous entry.

Then what if someone dies at home after office hours?

If death occurs at home after office hours:

Die die still have to obtain Certificate of Cause of Death (CCOD)

If your family doctor who has been attending to the deceased is unavailable, contact any of the neighbourhood doctor who is willing to make a house call (For what I know, house calls are usually quite expensive.)

If you are unable to contact a doctor, call Police. Then so on and so fro to the CFM.

At CFM, if autopsy reveals that the death is unnatural, the Police will need to conduct further investigations into the cause of death and the family will need to assist. Once the investigation is completed, the family will be told by the Police to attend a Coroner Inquiry at the Subordinate Courts.

The Singaporean Death Guide #1 - Death In A Hospital

What to do when a death occurs?

Step 1:
Obtain a Certificate of Cause of Death (CCOD) from the ward nurse when the doctor at the hospital can certify the cause of death if the cause of death is known AND the cause is natural. This can be done by producing the identity card of the deceased.

If the doctor is unable to determine the cause of death, or a death has been the result of or has been contributed by an unnatural event (e.g. surgical complication, a fall prior to admission), the doctor is under the requirement of the law (Criminal Proceedings Code) to refer the case to the Police/Coroner. In such cases, the body will be sent to the Centre for Forensic Medicine (CFM) Mortuary (located at Block 9 Singapore General Hospital) in a Police Hearse. The hospital will arrange for this to be done. The family will be told by the Police when to go down to the CFM Mortuary (usually the next day).

At the CFM Mortuary:

- Identify and view the body in the presence of the Coroner.

- The Coroner will review the case and determine if an autopsy is required.

- The family will be informed of the Coroner's decision and the time to claim the body for the funeral.

Step 2:
Engage a Funeral Director who will:

- collect body from the hospital mortuary
- send the body for embalming (if required), and
- send the body to the location of the wake

Step 3:
Register Death

Prior to registration, the family should decide whether the body will be cremated or buried.

If the body is in a government restructured hospital, the registration can be done at the hospital (consult the ward nurse where to do the registration). The Certificate of Cause of Death will have to be produced to register the death.

If the body is in a private hospital, then the family will have to register the death at:

- any Police Divisional Headquarters. Neighbourhood Police Centre/ Post

- the Registry of Births & Deaths, 3rd floor, ICA Building, 10 Kallang Road. Tel: 63916100.

If the body is referred to the CFM Mortuary, the death will be registered at the CFM Mortuary.