China to implement unified coding system for death certificates nationwide

Starting July 1, medical and health institutions nationwide will implement a newly unified coding system and standardized format for both electronic and paper death certificates, according to a circular jointly released on Friday by the National Health Commission and four other government departments.

The move aims to streamline procedures and offer greater convenience for bereaved families in handling subsequent matters such as household registration cancellation and cremation arrangements.

The circular emphasizes deepening coordination across different government departments to enhance work efficiency and prevent malpractices. It stresses that electronic death certificates carry the same legal weight as their paper counterparts. It also introduces optimized procedures for issuing certificates in various scenarios and establishes clear standards for issuance timelines.

Furthermore, the document sets forth detailed requirements for rigorous information verification, statistical analysis, and data sharing protocols concerning mortality records. These measures are intended to support the development of an authoritative national mortality database, which will serve as a critical resource for health data analysis and more accurate calculation of average life expectancy.