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MCCD Resources


Overview of Medical Certification of Cause of Death (MCCD)

Overview MCCD

Medical certification of cause of death is the medical doctor’s responsibility for reporting of causes of death using a country’s prescribed form that follows the World Health Organization Standards. (See Annex 7 in ICD10 Volume 2 (2019) for more details on the WHO recommended international MCCD form and the reporting recommendations.) Cause of death information is so important for policy and planning that most countries have laws requiring the reporting of cause of death along with each registered death. In the Registration of Birth and Deaths Act, 1969, medical certification of cause of death reporting requirements are presented in section 10.

Trainings on medical certification of cause of death are available to educate doctors and build their skill and capacity in correctly certifying causes of deaths. In India, the Unit for Strengthening Cause of Death has a free MCCD e-learning course (2021) that bestows 1 CME point via the Omnicuris platform. The Registrar General of India developed a Physicians’ Manual on Medical Certification of Cause of Death (2012) available in hard copy and electronic format. With support from the Data for Health initiative, the University of Melbourne produced an electronic training manual titled, Improving Cause of Death Information: Handbook for doctors on cause of death certification (2016).

For short informational videos on MCCD, please visit the Unit’s Youtube channel which includes a station dedicated to MCCD.


MCCD Case Practice

Practice your death certification skills with these two case examples.

MCCD Case 1:

A 20-year-old woman who is 8-months pregnant is admitted to the hospital after presenting to her physician with severe fatigue for the past two weeks. Her hemoglobin and hematocrit are checked upon arrival and show iron deficiency anemia. The decision is made to give her a blood transfusion. As soon as the transfusion began, the woman developed severe bronchospasm, hypotension, and angioedema. The transfusion was discontinued immediately due to the anaphylactic transfusion reaction, but the woman dies thirty minutes after the onset of symptoms.

How would you complete the MCCD form for this case? Think about the causal sequence, time intervals, and underlying cause of death as you consider the correct certification of this death.


MCCD Case 1



MCCD Case 2:

A 15-year-old boy is brought to the hospital by his parents when he collapses in their home. Over the past week he has been nauseous and vomiting. He has also complained of high fever, headache, muscle aches, and pains. The family noticed a rash appear several days after the fevers started. No one else in the family has been sick. Two weeks ago, the boy left the city and went to spend time with his grandparents in south India on their farm.

Upon arrival to the hospital, the boy is in a stupor and noted to be hypotensive. His mother states his last episode of vomiting before he collapsed appeared to have blood in it. The physician performs a tourniquet test at bedside which is positive showing numerous petechiae arise on the boy’s arm and diagnoses the boy with dengue. He also notes hepatomegaly. One hour after arrival to the hospital, the boy becomes hypotensive and shows signs of dengue shock syndrome. He dies despite attempt at resuscitation.

How would you complete the MCCD form for this case? Think about the causal sequence, time intervals, and underlying cause of death as you consider the correct certification of this death.


MCCD Case 2



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