The newly-constructed St Jude Hospital morgue is one step closer to becoming operational.

The building was officially handed over to the Board of Directors of St Jude Hospital by the Ministry of Health on Aug. 9.

Minister of Health and Wellness, Sen Hon Mary Isaac, along with Permanent Secretary Felix St Hill, joined the Board of Directors and the management team of St Jude Hospital for the handover and a tour of the facility.

Following the tour, the group met at the George Odlum Stadium to discuss the way forward for the morgue. Mr St Hill said the plan is to have the facility operational in short order.

“Rather than wait until the completion of the entire hospital, we’re going to put the operations of the morgue into use almost immediately,” he said.

“The morgue, along with the ambulance and security monitoring buildings were constructed by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) with financing from the government of Mexico. The keys and operational manuals for the morgue were handed over to the Government of Saint Lucia by UNOPS in July after the building was retrofitted.

St Jude Hospital Chairman, Dr Ulric Mondesir, said he looks forward to the completion of the entire hospital.

“I’m in relentless pursuit to see this hospital, St Jude Hospital, opened. And I hope if it is opened between December and January, it will be a gift for Christmas to the sick.”

The morgue building is located at the original site of St Jude Hospital. The facility is fully equipped and also contains water and electricity.