Patients were turned away from government medical colleges and hospitals in the city on Tuesday after junior doctors renewed their cease-work in the morning.

Patients were told there were not enough doctors to attend to them.

Junior doctors across government medical college hospitals announced a full cease-work on Tuesday morning. The resumption comes ten days after the doctors resumed partial duties after a 42-day cease-work.

Asit Mondal, 27, suffering from a liver infection and fluid accumulation in his chest, was denied admission at NRS Medical College and Hospital. Asit’s family members were told he would not receive proper care because of the cease-work.

“My brother was treated at a private hospital in Bangalore for four days and it cost us ₹3.5 lakh. We cannot afford to treat him at a private facility anymore,” said Asit’s brother Indrajit, a resident of Malda.

Asit was taken to the emergency, where he was advised to visit the chest medicine OPD. An ECG was done and Asit was sent to the surgery department as his catheter required stitches. He was also prescribed medicines.

“We were told that owing to the agitation his admission won’t be possible as there were fewer doctors,” said Indrajit.

The family spent ₹80,000 to transport Asit from Bangalore to Calcutta in an ICU ambulance. The family rented another ICU ambulance to return to Malda for ₹7,000.

Reba Karmakar, 60, a resident of Dum Dum, came to RG Kar Medical College and Hospital with a fracture on her waist and left leg. She too was denied admission.

“We brought our mother here last Wednesday. The doctors then advised an X-ray and asked us to come back on Tuesday for her admission,” said Rupali Roy, Reba’s daughter.

“We were assured of her admission on Tuesday. When we came here the doctors asked us to come next Tuesday. When I asked whether my mother would be treated next Tuesday, as Durga Puja would have started by then, the doctors had no answer,” said
Rupali.

“We are daily wage earners. A family like us can’t afford her treatment at a private hospital” she said.

The family later took Karmakar home in an ambulance.

During the Supreme Court hearing of the RG Kar case on Monday, Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud sought to know what essential services being delivered by the doctors meant.

“Will that mean you will not render services to a child who comes with normal ailment during the time but you will try and save a dying patient,” the CJI asked.

Indira Jaisingh, the counsel for the junior doctors, replied: “No, OPD falls within essential services.”