mortuary health
The proper handling of human corpses and their remains is an essential public health activity to prevent the transmission of diseases and care for the environment.
For this reason, the Mortuary Health Technical Unit's mission is to control and monitor the activity of funeral companies in the Community of Madrid, in order to ensure that this activity is carried out with the proper health guarantees and that legislation is complied with. valid.
The intervention of the administration is limited to those actions that require it for health reasons, guaranteeing the protection of public health, minimizing unnecessary burdens and procedures for citizens and companies, thus fulfilling the principle of necessity, efficiency and proportionality.
FAQs
What should you do if a family member dies?
1.- In a hospital
The doctor in charge of the same will certify the death and will contact the relatives.
The relatives of the deceased will contact a funeral home / burial company to manage the burial or cremation procedures.
The funeral company will remove the body from the hospital, along with the medical certificate (if the family has not removed it and authorizes them to do so) and will initiate the administrative procedures.
2.- In a residence
The death will be certified by the doctor of the residence itself or a primary care doctor or SUMMA 112.
The residence will contact the relatives to notify them of the death.
The family will contact a Funeral Company or insurance company for the management of the death.
The funeral company picks up the body at the residence, takes it to the funeral home and begins the administrative procedures for the burial.
3.- At your home
If the death has occurred at home, the relatives should contact their health center or 112 so that the primary care doctor or SUMMA 112 certifies the death and so the family can contact the Funeral Home / chosen funeral company.
As in the case of deaths in Residences, the funeral company is responsible for removing the deceased in the shortest possible time, complying with current legislation.
Note.- In cases where there is judicial intervention, the competent authorities are responsible for the removal and the body of the deceased will be transferred to the Institute of Forensic Medicine or to a place determined by the judicial authority.
When a person dies, do you have to wait 24 hours to transfer him to another province?
No, you no longer have to wait 24 hours to transfer it to another province, except in cases where there is judicial intervention and the competent Judge so determines.
How long does it take to proceed with burial or cremation?
You have to wait 24 hours.
Do I have to do any additional paperwork?
All the procedures that must be carried out in the different official organisms are carried out by the contracted funeral company.
Funeral service costs
If the deceased person has funeral insurance, it covers the expenses established by the contract.
If the deceased person does not legally have burial insurance, they may be required to pay the expenses to the family, or by the inheritance of the deceased, if there were assets, in the order established by law, with the exclusions that are look into it.
Mortuary health procedures
Listings (updated to September 2022)
Regulations and guidelines on mortuary health
- Decree 124 / 1997, of October 9, which approves the Mortuary Sanitation Regulation (Modified by the Decree 9 / 2020, of January 28).
- Consensus Guide on Mortuary Sanitation approved by the Public Health Commission on July 24, 2018.
