Dinabandhu Patra, who was turned away from six hospitals after seeking admission with a fracture in his spine, has had to return home once again.

The doctor on duty at Howrah District Hospital, which took Patra in on Monday evening, asked the friends and family members of the 32-year-old rickshaw-puller (Telegraph picture on right) on Tuesday morning to take him to Medical College and Hospital (MCH).

The Howrah hospital does not have the infrastructure to treat such patients, the doctor told the kin.

“We told him that Medical College had refused to admit my brother, but the doctor did not listen to us. We again took my brother to Medical College this morning and they again refused to admit him,” said Moloy Patra.

The relatives and friends waited at the emergency ward of MCH till 4pm and then took Patra to his Bally home.

Pradip Sengupta, a neighbour of the family, said: “It is clear no hospital will admit Dinabandhu even if it has the facilities. The Institute of Neurology at SSKM has the facilities, yet refused him admission. We have started collecting money to take him to Vellore.” According to official records, the Patras live below the poverty line.

Moloy said: “We have spent Rs 5,000 for taking him to the hospitals and on medicines. But even after 48 hours, he has not been treated. The doctor who attended to my brother at Medical College warned us that the delay could paralyse his limbs.”

Patra broke his spine on Sunday after falling off a tree. He was refused admission at MCH, SSKM, MR Bangur, Chittaranjan National Medical College and Uttarpara State General Hospital that night and had to taken back home in the morning.