At 2pm, they went to NRS Medical College and Hospital.

At 4.30pm, they went to RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

At 5.50pm, they were preparing to return home, denied treatment at two premier government colleges in Calcutta.

The family had come from Basirhat in North 24-Parganas, 75km from Calcutta, with Asakul Molla, 24, suffering from a neurological condition and looking visibly unwell.

A family of farm labourers, Asakul and his brother Tarikul Molla and others in the family rented a car which cost them ₹5,000 for a journey to Calcutta and back.

They arranged money somehow in the hope that the admission would be secured. But that was not to be.

Between 2pm and 5pm, all that they encountered was a denial of admissions.

Their ordeal first started at NRS Medical College and Hospital.

Asakul and his family members came to NRS at 2pm. They had to wait for two hours in front of the emergency ward for admission.

“My brother has been suffering from a neurological disorder for the past few days. On Wednesday morning, we took him to a government health centre in Basirhat, but they said my brother’s treatment was not possible there. They advised us to take him to any government hospital in Calcutta. So, we came to NRS,” said Tarikul, 30.

The family tried to admit Asakul or at least consult a doctor.

“We sat for two hours in front of the emergency ward with all the papers but the hospital authorities told us there were not enough doctors to treat him. They advised us to visit the OPD on Thursday,” Tarikul said.

Then the family members took Asakul to RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

“We arrived at RG Kar and were told by the authorities that there were no doctors to treat him. They suggested we could visit the OPD on Thursday,” said a family member.

“We could not even meet any doctors in either of the two hospitals,” the relative said.

“We travelled from one hospital to another in a rented car. We struggled to arrange money for the journey. Now, the authorities are telling us to come again. This means we have to arrange another ₹5,000. How is this possible?” said Tarikul.

“Besides, where is the guarantee that my brother will be admitted or seen by a doctor on Thursday?” he asked.

Calls to Saptarshi Chatterjee, medical superintendent and vice-principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, and Indira Dey, medical superintendent and vice-principal of NRS Medical College and Hospital, failed to elicit any response.