Question & AnswerQ&A (DOH ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO. 2010 - 0033)
Embalming refers to the process by which a dead body is sanitized, preserved and restored before final disposition through the application, injection or introduction of any chemical substance, drug or herb internally and/or externally.
Only a person duly licensed by the Department of Health (DOH) to embalm dead bodies is authorized to practice embalming.
A death certificate must be secured before burial except in special cases. No remains shall be buried without a burial permit. Funeral parlors shall not hold unclaimed bodies longer than 60 days. Dangerous communicable disease cases require specific protocols including use of airtight cadaver bags and biohazard tags.
Dangerous communicable diseases include Hepatitis B and C, Rabies, invasive group A streptococcal infections, transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (such as CJD), HIV/AIDS, meningococcemia, viral hemorrhagic fevers, yellow fever, plague, SARS, and other communicable diseases declared by the DOH.
The Committee is under the Secretary of Health and composed of a chairperson from the National Center for Disease Prevention and Control, vice-chair from Health Human Resource Development Bureau, sanitary engineer, pathologist, legal officer, and four embalmers. It regulates licensure, examination, accreditation and discipline of embalmers.
Applicants must be Filipino citizens, at least 18 years old, of good moral character, without criminal convictions involving moral turpitude, physically and mentally fit, at least a high school graduate, completed 140 hours of accredited embalming courses, and have embalmed at least 10 cadavers under supervision within one year.
Grounds include conviction for a criminal offense involving moral turpitude, insanity, fraud in acquiring the license, gross negligence or incompetence, addiction to alcohol or drugs, false advertisement, physical incapacity, failure to renew certificate for more than five years, and analogous grounds affecting the profession.
Any person practicing embalming without a certificate or using a false certificate shall be prosecuted before the Court of Justice as provided in Section 103 (a) and (b) of PD 856. Licensed embalmers violating provisions may have their licenses suspended or revoked or face prosecution.
Embalming shall only proceed after ensuring possession of a death certificate or written permission/attestation from the attending physician or local health officer. No embalming is allowed on bodies who died from dangerous communicable diseases unless authorized. The embalmer must sign and affix license number on the death certificate stating time and date of embalming.
It applies to all embalmers, accredited embalming training institutions and providers, public and private burial grounds, and other similar government or private entities involved in embalming and disposal of dead persons.