The Bhutanese Leading the way.
A 40-year-old Singaporean lady, Shermeen Ker E-Min, died on 30th May at Taktsang, Paro after complaining of a headache and feeling giddy, and despite CPR being administered at the site by an Indian tourist who is a doctor, she had passed away by the time her body reached the Paro Hospital.
At the time of the death, the cause was not known, which later came to light after an autopsy was conducted in JDWNRH at the request of the tour company and family.
The autopsy showed that the cause of death was massive bleeding in the brain, or intracranial hemorrhage. This happens when a blood vessel bursts or leaks inside the skull and blood pooling in the head increases pressure on brain tissue, disrupting vital oxygen and nutrient flow. The typical cause is a stroke resulting from hypertension.
There were no other medical issues that caused the death, as her heart was in good condition ruling out heart attack, and the lungs were also in a normal condition ruling out High Altitude Pulmonary Edema, which is death due to severe altitude sickness where water enters the lungs.
This detail is important because online forums in Singapore have been speculating altitude sickness was the cause of death.
The cause of death has been ruled as a natural cause.
The Paro Hospital was willing to issue a death certificate, but an autopsy was requested to ascertain the exact cause of death for insurance reasons.
Senior Bhutanese authorities took care to ensure that everything was done and processed in a timely manner, including documentation, for the repatriation of the body. JDWNRH also ensured that the body was embalmed so that it could be transported back to Singapore in a special coffin in the cargo of the flight from Paro.
A source said the tourist had not been feeling well during the trek, and was even planning not to continue, but she changed her mind and managed to climb all the way to the Taktsang Monastery. She made it inside the monastery and was coming down the steps and crossed the waterfall when she complained of a headache and felt giddy. Her guide and a friend helped her and she rested a short distance away where she passed out.
This is when an Indian tourist who is a doctor performed CPR, after which the police came with a stretcher but she was dead by the time her body reached the hospital.
The Paro Hospital had already received instructions from the Dzongkhag officials to take care of the tourist.
As Paro Hospital does not have autopsy facilities, the body was transferred to JDWNRH in Thimphu, where senior officials were also present to ensure that everything proceeded smoothly.
A Bhutanese family friend of the deceased helped with the arrangements like the special coffin and processing the necessary documents too.
Given the tens of thousands of tourists that visit Bhutan, it is normal that a few of them pass away in Bhutan every year, and almost all due to natural health issues.
A doctor, on the condition of anonymity, said that tour companies bringing in tourists should encourage the more vulnerable tourists to do a health screening before travel to Bhutan, keeping in mind the higher altitude of Bhutan.
It is also not uncommon for Bhutanese pilgrims to pass away in foreign pilgrimage destinations.
So far this year, five tourists have passed away in Bhutan, of which four are due to natural causes and one is due to a mountain biking accident.
The deceased was a member of a 16-member group from Singapore with the tour company Chan Brothers.
Ironically, back in Singapore when the tour company initially called and informed the mother of the deceased, she cried and called her son who initially thought it was some online phone scam, and he even went on Reddit to ask about it.
He wrote on Singapore Reddit saying, “My mother just called me crying that someone from Chan Brothers called to tell her my sister died on a tour in Bhutan. My mother is frantic but I don’t believe it’s true. It’s a scam, right? Can someone please help if you have heard of this scam before? Why would a travel agency be handling death notifications? Should the police or MFA handle this? Please help if you have come across a similar scam so I can reassure my mother.”
The disbelief later turned to grief as there was official confirmation and condolences poured in from Singaporeans and others.
The local tour operator involved in the tour is Happiness Kingdom Travels. The local tour operator told Channel News Asia that a senior Bhutanese official had conveyed condolences from Bhutan’s Royal Family to the woman’s relatives through her travelling companion, who was also her roommate during the trip.
