Man visits AIIMS for surgery follow up, found hanging in bathroom

This picture has been used for representational purpose only

A 32-year-old man was found hanging in the bathroom at Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on Thursday. The incident took place in the old OPD block where trauma emergency cases are being currently assessed due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

AIIMS has been using the old OPD block for emergency cases as the hospital's trauma centre has been converted into a full-fledged COVID-19 hospital. According to hospital sources, the man had visited the hospital for post-surgery follow up. The deceased was a registered patient and had undergone surgery at AIIMS in July 2019, reports Hindustan Times.

A hospital source said, "He had come for a follow-up. He was advised admission and while formalities were being done, he seemed to have disappeared and his body was found in one of the bathrooms." As per the preliminary investigation, the man was found hanging with a plastic pipe which is used for glucose drips.

The man was immediately rushed to the emergency ward, where he was declared dead on arrival. A complaint was registered with the Hauz Khas police station and the investigation is underway. This is the third suicide case at Delhi's AIIMS in the last one month. Besides this, a 32-year-old man, one patient, and a resident doctor in the psychiatry department have committed suicide.

After the alarming rates of suicides, psychiatrists at AIIMS have started taking rounds, especially at COVID-19 isolation wards, in order to pick up early signs of anxiety, depression, etc., among patients and help them with counselling.

Dr Rakesh Chadda, head of the psychiatry department, AIIMS said, "There is a lot of stress that patients feel, more so in Covid-19 wards, as there's hardly any human interaction due to staff wearing personal protection gear. Even for healthcare workers, it is a stressful situation as many are not able to connect with their families."

"Since last week, one senior doctor and a senior resident from the psychiatry department take regular rounds in the wards to observe patients and staff to identify signs of mental health issues," Dr Chadda added.

After inaugurating the outpatient department block at AIIMS on Thursday, Union health minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan said that focus should be on ensuring the hospital functions in a "problem-free" manner.

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