Students of Nandanam Government Arts College staged a protest outside the college on Thursday morning.
They demanded immediate medical attention for their collegemate who fell off a running bus on Wednesday.
The students alleged that Faisal Mohammed, a first-year B.Com student of the college, who fell off a running bus around 8 a.m. on Wednesday, had injured his head but was not given timely medical attention.
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He is now in critical condition at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (GH). According to one of the protesters, Faisal was rushed to a private hospital in Teynampet immediately after the accident but moved to the GH soon after, as his family could not afford treatment at the private facility.
But at GH too, Faisal was left unattended for many hours, the student alleged, because the hospital staff insisted his friends complete the admission formalities first.
“There was confusion regarding data transfer among the various departments. So, shifting him from the casualty to trauma ward itself took a while. He lost a lot of blood in the meantime. First aid too was administered late,” the student said. He was in the bus with Faisal when the accident happened and also part of the student group that rushed him to the hospitals.
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Faisal’s father, Ismail Mohammed, a daily-wage labourer, who was at his son’s side in the hospital on Thursday, said it was only after the students assembled at the hospital that his son was shifted to the neurology department.
“On Wednesday night, they made me carry his blood test reports to three departments. A doctor told me there was no hope. We just want them to try their best and not neglect Faisal,” he said.
While the police suspect the students were travelling on the footboard or the roof of the bus, the student said they were inside the vehicle.
“We were standing near the door when the bus reached Teynampet. Faisal stood up to offer his seat to an elderly woman and was standing beside the door when the bus jerked forward and he fell off it,” the student said.
According to hospital officials, the students who brought Faisal panicked when they were asked to complete the necessary formalities. “The student’s condition was quite serious. Since he suffered fractures and haemorrhage, many tests had to be done and experts consulted before proceeding with any course of treatment. His condition is critical,” the hospital spokesperson said.
The police are investigating the case.