Medical Certificate of Cause of Death, commonly called Death Certificate, is the most frequently issued certificate, at least by a government employed medical officer, if not by a private practitioner. It is common knowledge that many medical officers, even some of those with incomparable medical knowledge and expertise, do not fill up this document of immense medical and legal importance correctly. The reasons may be many, ranging from ignorance to indifference. Medical officers of Armed Forces Medical Services attending refresher courses (MOJC) have always requested the authors for a class on this topic. Considering these aspects, the authors have tried to clarify different issues concerning the question.
Keywords: Cause of Death; Mortality statistics; Registration of Births & Deaths Act, 1969.