Covid-19: Angolan doctor dies at police station after being caught without a mask inside his car

The reality 

Dr. Dala spent the whole day wearing a mask in the hospital. 

He left the service, tired. All he wanted most was a bath and a bed and give a hug to his family members. 

On the public road, he was driving his car alone. After being interregated by police officers he was invited to go to the station and died there.

The images of the doctor killed by driving without a mask clearly show that he was beaten.

The official version 

The Angolan Ministry of Interior confirmed the death of an Angolan doctor, taken by police to a police station in Luanda, for allegedly circulating on the public road without a mask, mandatory due to the covid-19.

In a press release, the ministry says that the incident occurred on Tuesday, and after going to the Catotes police station in Rocha Pinto, the methods of paying the fine were explained to the doctor and there was no ATM machine nearby. , called a close family member to make the payment.

The note added that “minutes later, he showed signs of fatigue and began to faint, having had an apparent fall, which caused slight injuries in the head region”.

“Due to his serious condition, he was taken to Hospital do Prenda and on the way he ended up perishing”, the document underlines, adding that the Criminal Investigation Service intervened, taking the victim to the morgue of Hospital Josina Machel.

According to the authorities, the family of the deceased confirmed that the doctor suffered from hypertension, however, due to legal imperatives, an autopsy will be performed on the corpse to determine the cause of death.

Meanwhile, the National Union of Doctors of Angola contradicts the police version, saying that the colleague was questioned by agents of the National Police for driving in his private vehicle, alone, without a face mask.

According to the union, after the fall the doctor was allegedly kept in the cell and hours later he was found dead.

“Only as soon as they understood that they were taking the failed vehicle to the Hospital do Prenda in the police vehicle, where their irreversible cardiorespiratory arrest was confirmed,” says the union.

A group of colleagues at the Pediatric Hospital David Bernardino, where the deceased worked, after learning about the death, went to that morgue and was surprised because the drawer where the body was full of blood.

“The colleague has an incisive wound, like a cut in the occipital region, which we presume was subjected to beating and hard blows that resulted in that wound and abundant bleeding”, highlights the union.

However, a source from the Ministry of the Interior said that the autopsy, performed today in the presence of the family and a prosecutor, concluded that the doctor was not the target of any aggression.