OTTAWA — The head of a local union representing workers at the Ottawa Hospital says something must be done to address overflowing morgues that have led to cadavers being left in unusual places at health-care facilities.
Lou Burri, president of CUPE Local 4000, says his members have walked into conference rooms to find bodies that were left there until a space opens up in the morgue.
He says it first happened last October, but has become a growing problem as the hospital’s infrastructure is stretched further beyond capacity.
The hospital has not yet responded to a request for comment.
Ottawa’s hospitals conduct autopsies for many who die in and around the National Capital Region, and bodies can sit for weeks or longer before they are claimed, if they are claimed at all.
Ontario’s chief coroner reported in June that there were 473 unclaimed bodies in 2018.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 7, 2020.
The Canadian Press
The Canadian Press
