MANILA, Philippines — A police station detainee died on Wednesday at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in Manila just 10 days after being arrested for illegal drugs.
A report from Manila Police District Homicide Section identified the detainee as Richard Abarquez, 47, who was detained at Santa Ana Police Station on March 28 for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Abarquez reported to guards at the police station that he had difficulty breathing at 2 p.m.
Police officers brought Abarquez to various hospitals that refused to admit the detainee due to so many coronavirus disease patients.
Abarquez was finally admitted to PGH where he later died due to “acute respiratory failure with underlying cause of sepsis and meningococcemia.”
The detainee’s body was moved the hospital morgue where health workers awaited the arrival of relatives.
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