Miguel García Chávez, an anesthesiologist, was found dead early Tuesday morning, June 1, in the bathroom of the operating room at the General Hospital of Zone No. 2 of the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS), known as “5 de Mayo,” in the capital of Chiapas.
So far, no authority has announced the official cause of death, although the IMSS Chiapas ruled out signs of violence on the doctor’s body. In a statement, the institution expressed its regret at the death and assured that the corresponding protocols had been activated, in addition to promptly notifying the competent authorities. According to preliminary investigations, no evidence of assault was found.
La Silla Rota attempted to contact García Chávez’s family but has received no response so far. However, a close friend denied the unofficial version of an alleged overdose as the cause of death. “That is false,” she stated.
She said that Miguel had obtained his specialty in February and had recently received a position at the IMSS (Mexican Social Security Institute), which had put him in a good mood. “He was very calm, went on vacation with his parents, had a girlfriend, and was in love. Therefore, the version that has been circulating seems erroneous and malicious to me,” she stated.
Similar case in Michoacán
The case has resonated among medical personnel due to its similarity to the one that occurred on June 10 in La Piedad, Michoacán, where Rubiel José Espinosa Albores, a doctor originally from Venustiano Carranza, Chiapas, was also found dead in an operating room at the IMSS Subzone 7 General Hospital.
According to family members and colleagues, the 35-year-old doctor was found with a deep wound in his neck that caused significant blood loss. Witnesses confirmed that Espinosa went to the bathroom to wash his hands before undergoing emergency surgery, but when they noticed his prolonged absence, they searched for him and found him dead around 1:30 p.m.
They attempted to revive him without success. According to witnesses, hospital officials took about an hour to notify the State Attorney General’s Office, presumably to minimize or control information about the incident. When family members arrived, forensic authorities were already present, and they were denied access to avoid disturbing the scene.
That same day, agents from the Attorney General’s Office informed the family that it was a suicide. A scalpel was allegedly found next to the body, and syringes containing controlled substances were found in the body’s pockets. The hypothesis was that an overdose caused a psychotic episode that led to the act. However, family members reported that they have not received formal information or conclusive evidence to support this version.
Accusations against the director
Witnesses reported that Rubiel had a tense relationship with the hospital director, Dr. Morales Garibay, whom they accused of workplace harassment and mistreatment. They report that moments before the tragedy, there was a heated argument between the two doctors, one of several that, they say, had already been documented in medical reports without receiving institutional attention. Days after the incident, coworkers marched through the streets of La Piedad to demand justice.
The doctors also stated that the doctor showed no signs of emotional disturbance or symptoms of a mental breakdown. “He was a friendly, caring, helpful man who worked in many parts of the country: Tuxtla, Tapachula, Comitán, Mérida, Zongolica, Morelia, among others,” they said.
They assert that the case cannot be dismissed as a suicide without a thorough investigation and clear evidence. “Those of us who knew Rubiel know that he was not capable of such an atrocity, not even amid the harassment he endured,” they stated.
Source: lasillarota
