A 50-year-old COVID-19 patient undergoing treatment in Bengaluru’s Victoria Hospital killed himself early on Monday (27 April) morning by jumping off from the 6th floor of the building. The incident took place shortly after 9 am.
According to the health department, P466 was suffering from chronic renal failure or chronic kidney disease (CKD) and required dialysis. He was admitted as a patient with severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) on 24 April and had no travel history.
“The patient was asymptomatic. A dialysis was conducted on Saturday and was one was due again today (Monday). He was doing well. He went to the sixth floor from the fire exit which was opened for lift repair and jumped outside. All the other fire exits are locked,” medical education minister Dr Sudhakar confirmed.
He reportedly reached the sixth floor from the fire exit that was open for repairing of the lift and jumped to his death. He died on the spot and his body has been shifted to the mortuary with due precautions.
The patient had been responding to treatment and was reportedly doing well. Dr Jayanthi, director of Victoria Hospital, confirmed the case of suicide and said that all precautions were being taken.
According to sources in the Victoria Hospital, the deceased had been stable and was undergoing psychiatric counselling like all other patients. The incident reportedly took place right after the morning rounds on Monday.
He was also reported to be upset after the the death of P465, a 45-year-old woman, with whom he shared a ward, on Sunday. They were the only two patients in the ward and had been undergoing treatment together for the last few days.
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