A 12-year-old girl, suffering from thalassemia, was refused blood transfusion at Medical College Kolkata on Wednesday.

A 59-year-old man, who was sent to SSKM Hospital from another government hospital for a neurological intervention, was denied admission at the state’s premier healthcare institute on Wednesday. SSKM has more than 500 beds vacant now, said health department sources.

A cease-work by junior doctors who are protesting the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee at RG Medical College and Hospital has crippled services across government medical colleges. The cease-work has been continuing since the young doctor’s body was found on August 9.

Countless patients — many of them in a critical condition — who are arriving at government medical colleges in the city from all corners of the state are being turned away without treatment. The BJP’s 12-hour bandh only added to their misery.

A health department official said they are trying to pacify the protesting junior doctors through various channels but the efforts have not been successful.

“The medical superintendents and principals are constantly talking to the junior doctors. We had called them for a meeting but till now they have not shown any indication of withdrawing the cease-work,” the official said on Wednesday. “We are keeping a watch on the situation.”

The official said the medical colleges are not in a position to provide normal services in the absence of junior doctors. “SSKM has around 1,000 junior doctors. Now that they are not working, it is impossible for the seniors to bridge the huge gap,” he said.

Patients and their family members are experiencing first-hand the crippling blow of that “huge gap”.

The 12-year-old thalassemia patient, from Singur in Hooghly, was supposed to undergo blood transfusion at Medical College Kolkata on Wednesday. The transfusion could not be done.

“My daughter is suffering from thalassemia. A transfusion was scheduled for today but it was not done. Two weeks ago, we faced the same problem as no test could be conducted because of the cease-work. Today, despite the (bandh-induced) disruption in train services, we came as my daughter desperately needs blood transfusion,” said Mita Patra, the girl’s mother.

“The doctors advised us to take a bottle of blood from the hospital on Thursday and get the transfusion done at some other healthcare unit. They said it might be as late as evening by the time the blood matching was done, and since there were not enough doctors they were unwilling to take the risk of admitting my daughter,” Mita said.

Arun Kumar Mondal, 59, a resident of Minakha in North 24-Parganas, was being treated at Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital for the past 22 days. On Wednesday, he was referred to SSKM.

“My father is suffering from paralysis, triggered by a neurological disorder, and needs surgery. Doctors at Calcutta National Medical College told us this morning that the operation could not be performed and referred my father to SSKM,” said Pallab, Mondal’s son.

“At SSKM, we were told that my father could not be admitted because of lack of beds,” Pallab said.

Health officials have said all government medical colleges now have hundreds of vacant beds but patients cannot be admitted because of shortage of doctors.

Mondal was lying on a stretcher outside the emergency ward on Wednesday afternoon, his family members undecided what to do.

Later, he was taken to NRS Medical College and Hospital, where, too, he was denied admission, the son said. In the evening, Pallab said he was taking his father home.

Tanjura Bibi, 53, who was sitting outside the emergency ward of NRS, said her 30-year-old daughter Fatima Bibi needed surgery but it could not be performed as a biopsy report had not yet arrived from RG Kar.

“My daughter is admitted on the second floor of the emergency ward of NRS for six days. It’s been almost a month since the biopsy sample was taken at RG Kar but the report has yet to come. We are going to RG Kar every day and hearing the same reply that the report is not yet ready,” said Tanjura, from Rajarhat.

Bejo Naskar, 50, who has a malignant tumour in the liver, was on a stretcher for two hours outside the radiotherapy department of NRS before being sent back home on Wednesday. The family members accompanying her were told that there were no doctors to treat her.