Mental patient falls to death while under observation

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LATEST FAMILY TRAGEDY: A doctor trying to revive the victim following his fatal plunge.

KUCHING: A male patient at Sarawak General Hospital died after falling from one of the floors a day after being admitted for mental observation.

The 21-year-old, surnamed Chai, was discovered by medical staff who came across his body around 12.30am yesterday and quickly administered first aid in a futile attempt to save him.

Chai’s father, when met at the scene, said he had been keeping watch over his son in an eighth floor ward, and had dozed off for barely a few minutes when a security guard woke him up to tell him his son had plunged to his death.

It was unclear which floor the victim fell from.

According to the elder Chai, his son used to study at a higher learning institute in Selangor but returned here in May to be cared for by his family after he developed psychological problems.

He said a timely intervention stopped his son from jumping off the Chong Kiun Kong bridge in Batu Kawah last Wednesday, prompting him to bring him to Sarawak General Hospital for treatment early Friday morning.

Doctors informed him that his son would be kept for observation before being given medication or referred to Sentosa Hospital.

The death of his only son proved too much for the elder Chai, who broke down and cried. He said it was the latest tragedy to befall his family in recent years.

He revealed that one of his two daughters was struck dead by lightning in Unimas campus in 2007 while walking back from her class, while his wife is suffering from cancer.

The incident has been classified as sudden death pending an investigation.