COVID-19 Fatalities May Now Be Autopsied Due to Continued Infection Risks

The government has approved a draft law on amendments to the "Law on Medical Assistance and Services for the Population" during its session on May 13.

According to the draft, the requirement for not conducting pathological autopsies in cases of death due to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is proposed to be removed.

The rationale states that forensic autopsies carried out over the past year have revealed that the potential for COVID-19 infection from cadavers poses a risk that can be mitigated through the use of personal protective equipment during autopsy and the implementation of sanitation and epidemiological measures. Consequently, the necessity to remove the aforementioned requirement from the law has arisen.