A man from Gundlupet is suspected to have died of cold after sleeping outside a maternity hospital where his wife had delivered a baby. The man had slept outside for three nights in a row.
According to the police, Shivagopalaiah, of Choudalli village, Gundlupet taluk, Chamarajnagar district, was found dead on Monday, January 13, outside the Cheluvamba Hospital in Mysuru.
Shivagopalaiah’s wife Ashwathamma was first taken to the District Hospital in Chamarajnagar and later shifted to Cheluvamba Hospital after she developed complications. She delivered a baby boy on Friday, January 10, and is currently in the ICU. She is reportedly unaware of her husband’s death.
Cheluvamba Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Sudha has told the media that it was unclear why Shivagopalaiah slept in the open, outside the hospital when a shelter was available for caregivers of patients. However, some media reports said that he could not afford the dormitory fee.
She said that the hospital had facilities for caregivers to sleep, but most people slept in the open. She also said that BPL card holders were allowed to sleep in the dormitory free of charge, while others were charged Rs 30 as a fee.
Director of Mysore Medical College and Research Institute (MMC&RI) KR Dakshayini, said that Shivagoapalaiah may have decided to sleep outside the hospital as he wanted to be near his wife. She said that the cause of death would be known only after the post mortem report is submitted.
Temperatures in Mysuru range between 30 degrees Celsius and 15 degrees Celsius in January.