THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A 37-year-old man, who was awaiting discharge after getting cured of
Covid-19 allegedly committed at Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College
Hospital on Sunday. Biji, resident of
Kazhakkoottam in the city is the deceased. He was an auto-rickshaw driver by profession.
Hospital authorities said that Biji allegedly hanged himself in the bathroom of high care ward in the Super-Speciality Block of the hospital around 1.30 pm. He was admitted to the intensive care unit as soon as the staff found out. But he died around 6.45 pm.
According to hospital authorities, Biji was undergoing treatment at the hospital since October 3 after he was tested positive for the infection. On October 11, he was tested negative. He continued to be in the hospital to undergo the mandatory quarantine.
Medical College Superintendent Dr M S Sharmad said that Biji was suffering from mental issues. A few days before he tested positive, his brother had died. Hence, the hospital authorities were giving extra care to him. A psychiatrist regularly used to visit him.
"On Sunday, he was about to be discharged from the hospital. But, since morning, he appeared to be gloomier than ever following which I suggested the psychiatrist to give him a counselling before leaving’’, Sharmad said. But when the psychiatrist reached the ward, he ran to the toilet and locked himself in. He had done this several times before too. In the past he used to come out after the staff would knock repeatedly on the door. But on Sunday, he did not answer their knocks and the broke opened the door to find him hanging from the window bars.
This is the fourth case of suicide being reported in the Covid special ward of Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College hospital. Out of that, Biji is the second person to have died by suicide after testing positive. Two of the deceased were under observation and they had turned negative in the tests done post their deaths.