The suicide led to the first post-mortem in Bengaluru after a positive coronavirus test. (Representational Image)
A 50-year-old chronically ill man, who had been on dialysis for over 15 years and tested positive for COVID-19 on April 24, on Monday jumped to death from a trauma care centre building at the Victoria Hospital where he was receiving treatment.
The incident came a day after a 45-year-old woman, who was chronically ill, died in the ICU of the designated COVID-19 treatment hospital.
The 50-year-old lived with his brother in south Bengaluru. The suicide led to the first post-mortem in Bengaluru after a positive coronavirus test. The suicide has not been accounted for as a coronavirus death.
“The post-mortem was necessary despite the patient being COVID-19 positive because the death involves a medico-legal case,” an official at the Victoria Hospital said.
“Patient admitted on 24-04-2020 with history of pneumonia, known case of hypertension, HCV positive and chronic kidney disease on regular dialysis died on 27-04-2020, with non-COVID cause,” the Karnataka health department said on Monday.
“He was admitted in the ICU and so he was isolated… After breakfast he went to the top of the building unnoticed by anyone,” a senior doctor at the Victoria Hospital said.
Two nephews of the deceased were at the hospital. “He was undergoing dialysis on a regular basis…. We cannot understand why such a thing would happen. He called last night to say he was doing fine,” said one of the nephews.