Section 17
of Births and Deaths Registration Act
Section 17
(1)
It shall be the duty of every medical practitioner, upon the death of any person who has during his last illness been attended by such medical practitioner, to sign and deliver within 12 hours of the death to some person required by this Act to furnish particulars of the death or to the Deputy
Registrar of the registration area within which the death took place, a certificate in such form as the Registrar may determine; and such person shall, when reporting or furnishing information as to the death, deliver such certificate to the Deputy Registrar.
(2)
When a medical practitioner has made a post mortem examination of the body of any person, such medical practitioner shall, within 24 hours after the conclusion of the examination, forward a certificate in such form as the Registrar may determine to the Deputy Registrar of the registration area within which the death took place.
(3)
The cause of death as stated in the certificate, together with the name of the certifying medical practitioner, shall be entered on the appropriate page of the registration book and on the counterfoil thereof.
Duty of Magistrate holding inquest.