62-YR-OLD COVID-19 PATIENT COMMITS SUICIDE AT GMCH-32

CHANDIGARH : A 62-year-old man diagnosed with Covid-19 and admitted to the Government Medical College and Hospital in Sector 32 died by suicide on Sunday morning, the health department announced in its evening bulletin.

A resident of Sector 55, he jumped from the fifth floor of the hospital at 7.25am and was taken to the emergency by security guards where he succumbed to his injuries at 8.05am.

The patient tested positive on July 28. On July 29, he was sent to Sood Dharamshala (Covid unit), but as he developed breathlessness, he was taken to GMCH-32 at night and administered oxygen, the bulletin read.

The patient was an ex-smoker with comorbid condition of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Two of his family contacts have also tested positive.

The cause of death mentioned in the bulletin was “cardiopulmonary arrest and hypovolemic shock (a life threatening condition when more than 20% of the body’s blood is lost)”, and manner of death was “suicide”.

Police have said inquest proceedings have been initiated under Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code. Officials confirmed that till Sunday evening they had not received complaints of negligence or ill treatment of the patient by hospital authorities. However, some relatives were yet to be questioned.