Elderly Patient Found Hanging In Orthopedic Ward Of AIIMS Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: A 70-year-old patient was found hanging in the Orthopaedic ward of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhubaneswar, under mysterious conditions late on Monday.

The deceased has been identified as Dilip Kumar Sahoo of Atalapur village in Jajpur district.

It is being suspected that the incident occurred between Monday night and Tuesday morning. He allegedly hanged himself from the fan above his hospital bed despite the presence of other patients, their attendants, and hospital staff in the ward.

“We are investigating the circumstances leading to the unfortunate incident. It appears that the patient took the drastic step late at night when other patients in the ward were asleep,” said Bhubaneswar DCP Pinak Mishra.

According to AIIMS authorities, Sahoo was admitted to the hospital on December 5 with osteoarthritis of the knee. His knee replacement was scheduled for December 10 but he had fever on December 9 for which he consulted a medicine doctor. Subsequently, he developed haematuria (blood in urine) and was under the treatment of a urologist of the institute.

Security supervisor, along with the ward security person, had visited the ward at 1 am and found the patient on his bed. “Our duty doctor, along with a nursing officer, went on a round between 12.45 am and 1 am, and found everything was correct. The patient was on the bed. At 1.15 am, the duty nursing officer and a relative of another patient of the ward spotted Dilip Sahoo hanging from the fan. Police were immediately informed,” a statement from AIIMS Bhubaneswar stated.

The patient was declared dead after a clinical examination at 2.15 am and was handed over to police at 2.30 am.

Meanwhile, police have launched a probe and are interrogating the deceased’s daughter Harapriya Sahoo, was staying at a dharamsala on the hospital premises, nearby patients, and hospital staff.