A 37-year-old COVID-19 patient ended his life by reportedly jumping off the third floor of Visakha Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS), where he was being treated, on Thursday. He took the extreme step allegedly out of fear and depression.
The deceased was identified as M. Venubabu, a resident of Gollalapalem in Bheemili mandal.
According to Arilova Inspector Emmanuel Raju, the victim was admitted to VIMS on June 1. He was being treated at the ICU on the third floor of the hospital.
Police said that around 10 days ago, a friend of Venubabu allegedly died due to COVID-19. Since then, he was in a state of panic. On Thursday morning, at around 7 a.m., he allegedly jumped out of a window and ended his life.
This is the second case of a COVID-19 patient ending his life at VIMS in less than two weeks. On May 22, a 45-year-old man from Sujatha Nagar allegedly ended his life in a similar manner at VIMS.
It may be noted that this is the sixth case of alleged suicide by a COVID-19 patient in the city since this April. King George Hospital (KGH) reported three such incidents, while a private hospital reported one.
Venubabu’s body was sent to KGH for post-mortem and a case has been registered.
