Person may authorise post-mortem examination
13.—(1) Any person who is not mentally disordered and who is 18 years of age or above may either in writing at any time or orally in the presence of 2 or more witnesses during his or her last illness authorise the post‑mortem examination of his or her body for the purpose of establishing or confirming the cause of death or of investigating the existence or nature of abnormal conditions.
(2) Such authority is effective upon the death of that person.
Relatives may authorise post-mortem examination
14.—(1) Any of the persons specified in the Schedule, in the order of priority stated, when persons in prior classes are not available at the time of death, and in the absence of actual notice of contrary indications by the deceased person, or actual notice of opposition of a member of the same class or a prior class, may authorise the post‑mortem examination of the body of the deceased person for the purpose of establishing or confirming the cause of death or of investigating the existence or nature of abnormal conditions.
(2) The persons authorised by subsection (1) may give the authority after death or immediately before death.
Post-mortem examination of unclaimed body
15. Where the body of a deceased person has not been claimed from an approved hospital or from an institution maintained on public funds, for more than 24 hours after death, the Director‑General may authorise in writing the post‑mortem examination of the body for the purpose of establishing or confirming the cause of death or of investigating the existence or nature of abnormal conditions.[Act 11 of 2023 wef 01/05/2023]
