The Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) hospital administration in Cebu confirmed that a COVID-19 patient committed suicide by jumping off from the building’s third floor.
Dr. Gerardo Aquino Jr., VSMMC medical chief, said the patient “was admitted due to Covid-19 pneumonia” on Monday and was confined in a room at the third level of the regional hospital.
According to Aquino, the nurse on duty noticed that the patient had a sudden change in behavior on early Tuesday morning. The patient allegedly would sing, then shout and then punch the room’s glass door.
The guard on duty then spotted the COVID-19 patient roaming around the third-floor lobby and refused to calm down.
“The patient forcibly broke the glass window near the elevator and jumped to his death towards the ground floor of the ND Building,” Aquino said.
The patient died on the spot after jumping from the building at around 8:40 am. Multiple physical injury secondary to fall, intentional; Covid-19 probable, mild’ are declared as the cause of his death.
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COVID-19 patient commits suicide in Cebu hospital
Aquino, meanwhile, denied reports that the hospital immediately cremated the patient’s body, clarifying that his family claimed his remains at 3 pm on Tuesday.
He also said reports that they prohibited Cebu City Police Office Station 2 (Abellana Police Precinct) police investigators from entering the hospital are not true.
“Everyone can experience emotional, mental, and physical drain at this crucial time. We urge the public to maintain the support and prayers for all patients and healthcare workers to avoid stigma and discrimination,” Aquino said.
Aquino said the people “should not add to the burden and sufferings that these fragile populations are experiencing at this time of pandemic.”
“We urge the public to maintain the support and prayers for all patients as well as healthcare workers to avoid stigma and discrimination. We need encouragement. We need each other. We are bigger than this pandemic, and we are capable to heal as one,” he added.
Annabeth Cuizon, acting head of the Lapu-Lapu City Social Welfare and Development Office, meanwhile asked the public to respect and not discriminate those who acquired the respiratory disease. She tested positive for COVID-19 in April.