Nagpur: Elderly COVID-19 patient dies by suicide in hospital

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An 81-year-old COVID-19 patient allegedly committed suicide at the Government Medical College and Hospital in Maharashtra's Nagpur city, police said on Tuesday.

The incident took place on Monday evening when the patient, identified as Purushottam Aappaji Gajbhiye, went to the bathroom in the COVID-19 ward of the medical facility, an official from Ajni police station said.

He allegedly hanged himself there from an exhaust fan with an oxygen pipe, the official said. Around 5.30 pm, a sanitation worker found the bathroom door locked from inside and knocked.

When there was no response for some time, the hospital staff members broke open the door and found the patient hanging inside, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone-4) Akshay Shinde said.

The man was a resident of Rambagh area here and was admitted to the hospital's COVID-19 ward on March 26 after he tested positive for the viral infection, the official said. The reason behind the extreme step was not yet known, another official said. The Ajni police have registered a case of accidental death, he said.

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