Article 19 If the patient dies within the medical institution, the corpse thereof shall be removed to the mortuary. As a general rule, the corpse may not be kept in the mortuary for more than two weeks. In case the corpse fails to be handled within the time limit, the medical institution shall, after obtaining the approval of the local administrative department of health and reporting to the department of public security at the same level for archivist purposes, handle the corpse according to relevant provisions.

　　Chapter III Technical Authentication of Medical Accidents

　　Article 20 Where the administrative department of health receives the report of any medical institution about any serious negligent medical acts or the application of the party to any medical dispute for handling and finds it necessary to make a technical authentication of the medical accident, it shall have the authentication done by the societies of medical sciences that are in charge of authenticating medical disputes. Where both parties agree to settle the medical dispute through mediation and a technical authentication is needed, the authentication shall be done by the society of medical sciences in charge upon the joint entrustment of both parties.

　　Article 21 The local societies of medical sciences of the cities with districts and the local societies of medical sciences of the counties or cities that are under the direct jurisdiction of the provinces, autonomous regions or municipalities directly under the Central Government shall be responsible for making the initial authentication of medical accidents. The societies of medical sciences of the provinces, autonomous regions or municipalities directly under the Central Government shall be responsible for further authentications.

　　Where it is necessary, the All-China Society of Medical Sciences may organize technical authentications for difficult or complicated medical disputes of national significance.

　　Article 22 In case any party refuses to accept the conclusion of the initial authentication of medical accidents, it may apply, within 15 days after receiving the conclusion of the initial authentication, to the local administrative department of health where the medical institution is located for a second one.

　　Article 23 The societies of medical sciences that are responsible for organizing authentications of medical accidents shall set up databases of experts.

　　The database of experts shall consist of medical professionals that satisfy the following conditions:

　　(1) Having good professional knowledge and being of excellent professional ethics;

　　(2) Being employed by a medical institution or institution of medical teaching or research and holding a senior professional title for three years or more;

　　(3) Any legal medical expert who satisfies the conditions as provided in item (1) of the preceding paragraph and holds a senior professional title may be included in the database of experts.

　　The societies of medical sciences that are responsible for organizing authentications of medical disputes may invite medical professionals and legal medical expert to be included in the expert databases without consideration of administrative jurisdictions.

　　Article 24 Technical authentications of medical disputes shall be done by expert authentication groups organized by the societies of medical sciences that are responsible for organizing technical authentications of medical accidents.

　　The experts of relevant majors that participate in the technical authentication of medical accidents shall be selected randomly by both parties to the medical dispute from the expert database under the auspices of the society of medical sciences. However, under special circumstances, the society of medical sciences may, according to the need of technical authentication of medical accidents, arrange both parties select randomly experts of relevant majors from the expert databases set up by other societies of medical sciences to participate in the authentication or to provide consultation services by mail.

　　The medical professionals and legal medical experts that meet the conditions as provided in Article 23 of the present Regulation shall be obliged to be included in the databases of experts and to undertake technical authentications of medical accidents.

　　Article 25 The collegiate system shall be practiced in the technical authentication of medical accidents by the groups of experts. The number of experts in the groups shall be in odd number, and, as a general rule, the experts of the dominating major involved shall not be less than one half of all the members of the groups. In the authentication of the cause of death or the grade of injury, legal medical experts shall be selected randomly from the database of experts to participate in the groups of experts.

　　Article 26 In any of the following circumstances, members of the groups of experts shall withdraw, and the parties concerned may plead their withdrawal in oral or written form: