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The rural doctor (SSO) as forensic examiner

  • Topic

Where there is no Legal Medicine office, the doctor in the mandatory social service may be asked to examine injured people and perform medico-legal autopsies.

Updated

What it is

The mandatory social service (Servicio Social Obligatorio, SSO) was created by Law 1164 of 2007 (art. 33) for graduates of the health professions: it is done in deprived or hard-to-reach communities, for six months to one year, and must be completed before registration. Many municipalities have no office of the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, and the rural doctor is the resource the justice system has. Decree 786 of 1990, compiled in Decree 780 of 2016, lists doctors doing the mandatory social service among those competent to perform medico-legal autopsies, and Law 906 of 2004 allows expert services to be provided by public bodies and private individuals, not only by the Institute.

Key facts

  • Law 1164 of 2007, art. 33: creates the SSO; the Ministry defines the areas, posts and professions, and the service is done once, after graduation.
  • Decree 786 of 1990, art. 9: competent for medico-legal autopsies are authorised Legal Medicine doctors, SSO doctors, government doctors and other doctors appointed by a competent authority after taking office.
  • Decree 786, art. 8: before a medico-legal autopsy there must be a body-removal record and a written request from a competent authority; if the person received care, the medical record is sent.
  • Decree 786, art. 7: singles out deaths in custody, possible work accidents, deaths from substances, deaths of minors with suspected maltreatment, possible medical acts and pregnant women with suspected induced abortion.
  • Decree 780 of 2016, art. 2.7.2.2.1.3.7: the SSO doctor may complete and sign death certificates.
  • Law 938 of 2004, art. 36: the INMLCF sets the technical rules that anyone doing forensic expert work must follow and checks compliance.

Next step: what to do and document

  • On arrival in the municipality, find out which Legal Medicine office is nearest and how to consult it and refer cases.
  • When asked for an autopsy, ask for the authority's written request and the body-inspection record before starting.
  • If minimum technical conditions are missing (room, light, instruments, sample containers), put it in writing and ask the authority about transferring the body.
  • Preserve samples and items found under chain of custody, and give the report to the requesting authority.
  • If the death is violent or its cause unclear, do not sign a natural-death certificate to speed things up.
  • Law 1164 of 2007, art. 33 (mandatory social service). Decree 786 of 1990, arts. 6 to 9, compiled in Decree 780 of 2016 (arts. 2.8.9.6 to 2.8.9.9).
  • Law 906 of 2004, arts. 406 and 410 (provision of expert services and the duty to accept); Law 938 of 2004, art. 36.
  • Official text checked on 2026-11-05 at funcionpublica.gov.co (Law 906, Law 938 and Decree 786), minsalud.gov.co (Law 1164 and Decree 780) and dane.gov.co.

Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

Which rule lists doctors doing the mandatory social service among those competent to perform medico-legal autopsies?

Decree 786 of 1990, art. 9, compiled in Decree 780 of 2016 (art. 2.8.9.9).

How long does the mandatory social service last under Law 1164 of 2007?

Not less than six months and not more than one year (art. 33).

What does Decree 786 of 1990 require before a medico-legal autopsy?

The body-removal record, a written request from a competent authority and placing the body in a suitable site; if there was medical care, the medical record too (art. 8).

In which of these deaths is a medico-legal autopsy mandatory: homicide, suicide, accident or unclear cause?

All of them: art. 6 of Decree 786 of 1990 requires it in homicide, suicide and accidental death, when these must be told apart, and when the cause is unclear.

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Educational content on forensic and legal medicine; not legal advice and no substitute for the technical guides of Colombia's National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences. Laws change: each page links the official text and says when it was last checked. For a real case, follow the guide in force and ask the competent authority.

Sources: Ley 1164 de 2007, talento humano en salud (Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social, 2007); Decreto 786 de 1990, autopsias clínicas y médico-legales (Función Pública, Gestor Normativo, 1990); Decreto 780 de 2016, Decreto Único Reglamentario del Sector Salud y Protección Social (Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social, 2016); Ley 906 de 2004, Código de Procedimiento Penal (Función Pública, Gestor Normativo, 2004); Ley 938 de 2004, Estatuto Orgánico de la Fiscalía General de la Nación (Función Pública, Gestor Normativo, 2004); Instrucciones para llenar el certificado de defunción (Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística (DANE), 2019).

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