Hospital transport bus driver found dead; suspected of suicide in fear of corona

The wife of a bus driver of Sri Lanka who was found dead near his house yesterday (Nov 08) said that her husband might have committed suicide by hanging himself due to fear of coronavirus.  

The driver of state-owned Sri Lanka Transport Board transported hospital staff to Nagoda General Hospital of Kalutara during the curfew in the past week. The wife said that he had been in trauma after one person who travelled on the bus had been positive for COVID-19. 

"He was in fear that he would contact the virus and often talked about it," the wife of the deceased said.

The dead man is a 56 years old resident of Yatiyana, Agalawatta. 

Editorial opinion:

Contact tracing and other measures of Sri Lankan military, police and public health officials covered by media cause mental stress among some people and a more sensitive approach is required. Government has already changed policies regarding quarantine and all associates are self-quarantined at home now. However, the draconian actions previously followed are fixed in the minds of the people. Health authorities must attend to this issue immediately.   

Call 1926 from any telephone for help when anyone needs mental health support. It is the toll-free National Mental Health Helpline of the Ministry of Health.  

A psychiatric patient beaten to drown in Colombo as police observes the crime

(October 30, Colombo - Lanka Polity) Sri Lanka's Colombo Crime Division is investigating an incident of police or any other group assaulting a psychiatric patient compelling the latter to jump to sea and to drown.

The ill-fated man reportedly threw stones at trains running  along the coastal railway in Colombo city off Babbalapitiya railway station. Two persons suspected to be the members of either police or the security forces beat him to drown in sea in the attempt to escape from attacks. Lakbima newspaper reported that the police and a large number of others were observing the crime without taking action. The newspaper also said that a private television channel, TNL, has videoed the crime.(Watch video)

Sri Lanka Navy divers were searching for the corpse of the dead man yesterday (29) evening.

Protecting human rights of the psychiatric patients is very low in Sri Lanka. Many of the psychiatric patients are among the lowest income groups in the society and they are in extreme poverty. Lack of free medicine in public hospitals and the unavailability of viable welfare service for these persons have resulted public nuisance.

Around 2% of Sri Lankans are suffering from serious mental illnesses, according to WHO records. However, the country has 35 psychiatricians for the entire 20 million population.