A 41-year-old physician working at a private hospital in Assam’s Guwahati was found dead in his chamber on Wednesday morning, with police suspecting a case of suicide.
Officer-in-charge of the police station Soroj Doley said the body was sent to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) for postmortem. “He injected high dose of sedative, possibly Propofol, in his veins and this could be reason for death. As per the initial investigations, this looks like a suicide but we are looking at all possible aspects,” Doley told HT on Wednesday.
Police were informed about the doctor’s death around 9:30 am on Wednesday, and a team from Bhangagarh Police Station later recovered the body, an officer said.
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According to the private hospital authorities, the deceased had been an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) physician for the past six years. He had arrived at the hospital around 8 pm on Tuesday and stayed overnight.
“At around 4am, he told the staff he was going to rest and asked them not to disturb him for a few hours. Around, 8am, the on-duty staff sensed something unusual and called the other doctors,” hospital authorities said.
According to the police, used syringes and vials of Propofol were found in the room where the doctor’s body was recovered, which led to the theory that he had injected the substance.
{{/usCountry}}According to the police, used syringes and vials of Propofol were found in the room where the doctor’s body was recovered, which led to the theory that he had injected the substance.
{{/usCountry}}“The body has been sent for postmortem and once the report comes, they will be able to confirm if Propofol was injected in the doctor’s body,” GMCH principal Babul Kumar Bezbaruah said.
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Bezbaruah said that an overdose of Propofol can lead to serious health conditions, including respiratory depression, cardiovascular depression or potential cardiorespiratory arrest. “We don’t know the exact cause of death as of now and it will be clearer only after we get the PM report,” he added.
Police said that the family members of the doctor had been asked to visit GMCH and that the body would be handed over to them after mandatory medical examinations.
The investigating officials said that the doctor was reportedly going through depression for a period following his recent divorce. The family members, however, were not available to confirm this.
Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides are preventable. If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist.
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