NL Health Services is preparing space in the basement of the Health Sciences Centre to store unclaimed human remains while plans for the construction of a new expanded morgue facility are underway.

Capacity issues at the morgue came into shocking view earlier this year when it was discovered that a number of freezer units, parked by the Health Sciences, were being used to store unclaimed bodies.

In the meantime, NL Health Services says bodies will be temporarily stored in a space in the parking lot in the lower level of the hospital while a new morgue is being constructed.

The space is located in an area of the Health Sciences’ underground parking normally set aside for ambulances and staff members with disabilities.