Another life lost to stigma around COVID-19
GURUGRAM: On Wednesday, a 45-year-old person who works in a senior position in the multinational company in the city took his own life after his wife was infected with COVID19. He feared that along with his wife, his young son had also caught the virus.
The incident occurred at Sector 37 Ramprastha city at around 5:00 am. The deceased has been identified as Raj Gopalan and hailed from Hyderabad and was living in Gurugram with his family for over four years. Law enforcement officials here have sent the body for post-mortem.
“As per our initial investigation, it seems that the person was under depression as his wife had been infected with COVID-19. We are however exploring all the aspects and are in touch with all family members and closed ones so that we can get to the crux of this unfortunate incident,” said a senior official from Gurugram Police. This is the fourth such incident in the city, where a person has reportedly taken their own life allegedly owing to the fear of COVID-19 either affecting him or his family members.
Days ago, a security guard had shot himself after he feared that he had contracted the virus from his employers. A nurse who was in her early 20’s had also taken her life after she was found positive for COVID-19. Prior to this, a man in his late 50’s also took his own life after his wife, who was facing other health issues, tested positive. It is not only patients taking their lives that is a part of the problem around COVID-19. According to health officials, a large number of persons suffering from COVID-19 disease are deliberately not coming out and reporting the disease or its symptoms.
According to officials, one major reason why there is so much fear among the citizens in reporting the disease is because of apprehensions involved in the disease affecting their employment prospects. To address the concerns, fear and stigma attached to COVID-19, the District Administration plans to start a helpline number for counselling the patients and their worried relatives.