62-year-old COVID-19 patient jumps to death from hospital in Chandigarh

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In a shocking incident, a 62-year-old COVID-19 patient allegedly committed suicide by jumping off the fifth floor of a hospital in Chandigarh, Punjab. The alleged incident took place on Sunday when the sexagenarian person jumped to death from the fifth floor of the Government Medical College and Hospital.

The deceased, a resident of Sector 55, jumped from the fifth floor of the hospital at 7.25 am. Although he was rushed to the emergency department by security guards, he succumbed to his injuries at 8.05 am. He died due to multiple fractures and a head injury, a police official said.

According to a report in Hindustan Times, the patient was admitted to the hospital on July 31 after testing COVID-19 positive on July 29. The patient was earlier sent to Sood Dharamshala (COVID-19 unit) but was soon shifted to GMCH-32 after he developed breathlessness.

While announcing its bulletin, the health department said, "He jumped from the fifth floor of area 55 (COVID-19 isolation area) at about 7.25 am. He was shifted to surgery OT and was declared dead at 8.05 am. According to the reports, the COVID-19 patient was an ex-smoker with the comorbid condition of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Besides the deceased, two of his family contacts had also tested positive.

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The bulletin said that the cause of the death was "cardiopulmonary arrest and hypovolemic shock (a life-threatening condition when more than 20 per cent of the body's blood is lost)". It also termed the manner of death as 'suicide'.

The Chandigarh police have begun an investigation under Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) at the Sector 34 police station. Police officials said they did not receive any complaints of negligence or ill-treatment of the patient by hospital authorities. However, a police official said that a few relatives, including the parents of the deceased, are yet to be questioned.

With inputs from IANS

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