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SINGAPORE – A migrant worker diagnosed with COVID-19, who was found dead on a stair landing at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) earlier this year, had recorded two end-of-life messages in about an hour before the act.
A forensic court heard on Thursday (September 24) that, in one of the videos, Alagu Periyakaruppan had stated that doctors said that he had the virus and did not wish to remain alive.
According to a transcript presented to the court, Alagu added that he was ready to lose his life and that no one had to do anything about it. He added in the video that he made the recording with a sober mind and signed it with his name.
Window pane removed next to hospital bed
Police investigations showed that Alagu, 46, had been admitted five days before the incident after complaining of a headache and fever. He had been admitted to KTPH after being diagnosed with COVID-19 following a swab test.
The court heard that, on April 23, Alagu, who has a family in India, was likely to have removed the glass from the window next to the bed in which he was protected and passed through the gap.
Before the act, he had likely placed the glass pane of the window on the floor next to his bed and left his black sneakers by the window, an investigating officer told the state coroner.
These were found by a staff nurse who had been making rounds around 6.15am. The nurse had heard a thud coming from Alagu’s cubicle and did a check-up, thinking that a patient had fallen to the floor.
He saw another patient, who had just woken up and sat on his bed, but Alagu was not in his bed. Seeing the items the patient left behind, he informed a colleague and conducted a search for Alagu, but to no avail. He had also opened the window to look out, but he couldn’t see Alagu.
Alagu’s mobile phone was found in his bed, after attempts were made to contact him. A senior patient relations associate on duty was then notified.
It is likely that he fell from floor 7 to 3
Around 7 a.m., the associate found Alagu, dressed in his hospital gown, lying unresponsive in a supine position on the outdoor staircase that landed on Level Three.
He immediately called for emergency medical assistance who tried to resuscitate Alagu. No pulse or respiration was observed, and dried blood was seen around his mouth.
Despite resuscitation efforts, Alagu was pronounced dead around 7:30 a.m. Police were then notified.
Due to Alagu’s status as a COVID-19 patient, the staircase he was found on was disinfected before the police arrived. The DNA swabs and fingerprints raised on the window frame matched Alagu’s.
It was determined that the two recordings, which lasted 20 seconds and 27 seconds, were made in the bathroom of his living room.
The investigating officer said Alagu may have used a metal hook, which was later found among his belongings in his bed drawer, to remove the glass from the window. Then it could have traversed space, measuring 11 inches by 29 inches, head first.
He probably fell from the seventh floor to the third floor.
Alagu had no known problems with his employment and had not made any complaints to his family or colleagues. In fact, he had mentioned that he would recover in a few weeks.
No display of suicidal thinking
A KTPH psychiatrist who headed a committee that investigated the incident found that there was no lapse in clinical care. Alagu had not exhibited any suicidal thoughts or behavior and his act was neither predictable nor preventable. You were not given any medications that could induce depression or hallucinations during your hospital stay.
According to the staff that attended Alagu, the worker was pleasant and helpful. He helped during meals by distributing meals to other patients and had no behavioral problems.
During his stay in the hospital, he expressed concern about his financial future and his children in India, which was not uncommon among patients in similar situations.
The consultants who dealt with Alagu said he was making progress and had no complications. Alagu was on his way to be transferred to a community isolation center, the KTPH psychiatrist said.
During the hearing on Thursday, Alagu’s nephew, Veerappan Meenakshi Sundaram, requested that his uncle’s mobile phone be returned and his death certificate sent to India.
