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While being kept in hospital for Covid-19, Alagu Periyakaruppan was concerned about his financial future and his three young daughters, a coroner’s investigation was heard yesterday.
But the 46-year-old construction worker showed no signs of suicidal thoughts or behavior, and hospital staff found him pleasant and helpful, albeit a bit quiet, a Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) doctor told the court.
Then on April 23, five days after his stay at KTPH, the Indian citizen was found motionless and without a pulse on an outdoor staircase on the third floor. He was pronounced dead at 7.15 in the morning.
Later, an autopsy found that Alagu had died from multiple injuries that coincide with those caused by a fall from a height.
No evidence of pneumonia was found, and police investigations concluded there was no foul play, according to the investigation.
Investigating Officer, Inspector Jolene Ng, testified yesterday that a nurse wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) outside Mr. Alagu’s cubicle heard a thud at around 6.15am.
He couldn’t find it in the seventh-floor living room, but he did notice that a glass pane from the louvered window next to his bed had been neatly placed on the floor.
A pair of black slippers were also found by the window.
The missing panel left a 29.7 cm by 28.7 cm opening.
A police report said that Alagu had probably removed the glass from the window, climbed through the gap and fell.
A metal hook found in Mr. Alagu’s possession could have been used to dislodge the panel, Insp Ng said. The window supplier told him that it would have been too difficult to remove the glass with his bare hands.
None of the witnesses called to the stand could tell where the hook came from.
Insp Ng said Alagu had no salary problems or complaints about his employer, Multi-Lines Engineering.
On the day of his death, he recorded two videos around 5.30 am.
In one, he said in Tamil: “Doctors are saying that I have coronavirus. Therefore, I do not wish to stay alive. I am ready to lose my life. Nobody and nothing has anything to do with this. I have recorded this. with a sober mind “.
Dr. Goh Kah Hong, who chaired a committee convened by KTPH to investigate the death, told state coroner Kamala Ponnampalam that the hospital did not find any lapses in clinical care.
He said the incident “was neither predictable nor preventable.”
The director and senior consultant for psychological medicine said: “He mentioned some concerns about his financial future, as well as concern for his children in India …
“Those were common concerns for patients in similar situations.”
Dr. Goh said that Mr. Alagu would have been told, like other patients, that he could recover from the illness.
Alagu, who had a five-day history of fever, was admitted to hospital on April 19.
Aside from a mild headache, he was progressing well and was on his way to be transferred to a community isolation facility, Dr. Goh testified.
He said the committee has made several recommendations to minimize the isolation that Covid-19 patients face and misconceptions about the virus.
Dr. Goh said that many migrant workers with Covid-19 had a “conceptual difficulty” understanding why they were in the hospital, even after the diagnosis was explained to them in a language they could understand.
Since the incident, the hospital has taken steps to ensure that workers receive the correct information.
For example, it has produced videos that are played in different native languages on televisions in patient cubicles.
And while the hospital has always made sure that patients can keep in touch with their friends by purchasing phone chargers and recharge cards for them, their staff are now striving to better connect with them, such as writing their names on their PPE.
Dr. Goh said that the pandemic was still evolving in April and the number of patients had become overwhelming.
“We did the best we could,” he added.
LAST CALL TO FAMILY
The New Paper previously reported that Mr. Alagu had worked in Singapore for 10 years and was the sole breadwinner for his family of six, whom he called every day.
After the tragedy, his wife, Madame A. Panjali, 40, told TNP that her last call was on April 22, the day before her death.
She and her daughters, ages 16, 11 and six, have had a hard time coming to terms with her death and making ends meet.
A donation drive organized by Nee Soon GRC MP Louis Ng and Mrs Dipa Swaminathan, founder of ItsRainingRaincoats, raised more than $ 200,000 for the family.
His nephew, Mr. Veerappan Meenakshi Sundaram, who works at the same company, attended yesterday’s consultation.
State Coroner Kamala will give his findings this afternoon.
Help lines
Migrant Workers Center (24-hour helpline): 6536-2692
Temporary workers also count: 6297-7564
Humanitarian Organization for the Economy of Migration: 6341-5535
HealthServe: + 65-3138-4443
Samaritans of Singapore: 1800-221-4444
Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019
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