Deceased islanders registered as having Covid 19
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21
WQ.202/2020
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES
BY DEPUTY K.F. MOREL OF ST. LAWRENCE
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 2nd JUNE 2020
Question
How many recently-deceased Islanders, if any, who were suffering with Covid-19 at the moment of their death have been registered as having a cause of death that was a condition other than Covid-19?
Answer
All 29 deaths which have been registered in Jersey with a COVID-19 related cause of death were certified with other causes of death in addition to COVID-19.
Deaths are certified and registered to include all primary and secondary causes of death that contributed to the death. Therefore, multiple causes of death can be and are certified.
How causes of death are certified/registered
Death in Jersey is first certified by registered medical practitioners who are qualified in law to undertake this function. Medical practitioners complete a statutory document (Medical Certificate of the Fact and Cause of Death – MCFCD) which includes the causes of death and sign a legal declaration that they have certified the death to the best of their knowledge and belief.
Currently, following the submission of the MCFCD by the medical practitioner to the Superintendent Registrar, it is scrutinised and verified separately by the Superintendent Registrar and (where appropriate) the Viscount. Following this scrutiny, the death is registered by the Superintendent Registrar and the causes of death are placed on public record in the island's death registers.
The MCFCD form allows the registered medical practitioner to state, in full, all causes of death associated with that person or (if they are unable state the cause of death) to certify that the cause of death is unknown – in which case the matter is referred to the Viscount to determine the cause of death.
Causes of death are presented in four separate sections on the MCFCD so as to record comprehensive detail around the primary and secondary causes of death as follows:
Part 1a. records the disease or condition leading to the death
Part 1b. records any immediate antecedent condition to the cause of death in Part 1a
Part 1c. records any morbid condition that could give rise to the cause of death
Part 2. records other significant conditions that contributed to the death, but are not related to the disease or condition in Part 1.