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Man Who Jumped To Death From Safdarjung Hospital Tests Negative For COVID-19
27 March 2020 1:37 PM GMT
Editor : Shweta Kothari
A broadcast turned digital journalist, Shweta Kothari heads the newsroom at The Logical Indian. She has previously worked with CNBC and NewsX as a news anchor and senior correspondent. Shweta holds a masters degree in journalism from the university of Sussex, UK and started her career with work placement with BBC in Scotland.
His family in Punjab had accused the health officers and airport staff of a cruel and insensitive attitude towards patients.
The 23-year-old man from Punjab who ended his life by jumping off the seventh floor of Safdarjung Hospital after he was admitted for a coronavirus test earlier this month, has tested negative for COVID-19.
The man had reached India from Sydney on March 18, and was taken to the hospital after he complained of a headache during screening at the Indira Gandhi International airport.
"He reached the hospital around 9 pm along with four other passengers. The incident took place within 30-35 minutes. His sample was collected and the report came back negative, a few days after the incident," a senior doctor from the hospital said.
Following the man's death, the Health Ministry issued a statement saying: "The patient reached around 9 pm and was taken to the seventh floor for admission and evaluation. When doctors reached the room, he wasn't inside. At the same time, another doctor coming out of the building observed a body on the floor around 9.15 pm".
His family in Punjab had accused the health officers and airport staff of a cruel and insensitive attitude towards patients. They also claimed that the officials did not reveal enough information about the hospital facilities at the airport.
"We went to Safdarjung to get information about him but the hospital did not tell us anything, and after an hour there, a staff member told us he must have been taken to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital because his name was not on their list. We then went to RML hospital and after struggling for an hour, we got the same reply. Then we went back to Safdarjung hospital to get his whereabouts," the man's uncle, Sukhdev Singh told The Indian Express.
According to the Health Ministry data, the number of active COVID-19 cases in the country is 640, while 66 people have been cured and discharged. The total number of cases recorded so far is 724, including 47 foreign nationals. As many as 17 people have succumbed to the deadly virus.
The ministry also added that a total of 15,24,266 passengers have been screened at airports across the country so far.
Also Read: Suspected Coronavirus Patient Commits Suicide At Delhi Hospital, Jumps Off Seventh Floor
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