The road accident did not claim his life, but red tape and delay nearly killed a city techie after doctors at Nimhans Hospital allegedly left him unattended for over an hour and, later, refused permission to shift him until the exit form was filled out.Twenty-five-year-old Shaik Gouse Basha, who is employed with HP, was crossing the road at Hosur-Sarjapur junction near St John’s Hospital at 6.15 am on Monday when a Tata Ace vehicle knocked him down. Passersby, including a techie working with IBM, rushed him to St John’s. However, since he had sustained head injuries, doctors there gave him first-aid and suggested he be rushed to Nimhans Hospital. By then, his colleagues had been informed and they rushed to St John’s and shifted him to Nimhans.The techies say that at Nimhans, Basha was lying on a stretcher in excruciating agony for over an hour but not a single doctor attended to him. They were allegedly told there was no ground staff or doctors.Anxious they were losing precious time, Basha’s friends decided to take him elsewhere. But when they tried to move him out, they say the staff at Nimhans asked them to fill out the exit form.Recounting the ordeal, Sunil Kumar Saginala, a colleague, says as soon as they got to know, they reached St John’s where doctors said he was in a critical condition and he had only 50% chances of survival. Around 7.15 am, they rushed Basha to Nimhans. “There was no one to do the admission formalities. He was lying on a stretcher, while we ran around asking for help, but there was no response. We were told there was no staff or doctors. When we got insistent, we were told to take him for a scan. We had no clue where to go. By then it was 8.30 am and Basha was in considerable agony. We thought it best to move him to another hospital. But a doctor came on the scene and asked us to fill the exit form. It was really shocking as Basha had not even been admitted,” Saginala said.Beaten and frustrated, the techies thought they were losing the battle to save Basha. Just then, the Madiwala traffic police inspector appeared on the scene. Since it was an accident case, the police had been alerted and they had accompanied the techies to hospital. On seeing the lackadaisical attitude of the hospital staff, the cops alerted their PI who immediately arrived.“Inspector R Vasu’s arrival was a god-sent. When doctors told him about the pending formalities, he blasted them. After getting Basha out, he arranged for a signal-free corridor till Sagar Hospital, where Basha has now been admitted,” Saginala said.When contacted, Madiwala traffic police confirmed the incident. They said the accused driver had been arrested and the vehicle seized. “We had accompanied the techie and his friends to Nimhans. No one bothered to look at him for more than an hour. We then called up our inspector. Once he arrived, he gave the hospital staff an earful. They then allowed the techie to be taken to another hospital,” a traffic police official said. According to police, Basha is now in Sagar Hospital where a scan revealed five blood clots in his brain. His parents arrived in the evening. Their consent has been sought and Basha was expected to undergo surgery later in the night. When contacted, Dr Satish Chandra, director, Nimhans, said he would look into the issue.“I was out of the state and came on Monday morning. I don’t have any information about this incident. I will be able to comment only after I get details from the complainants. I will look into the issue and speak to the officials concerned,” he said.Police will also submit a report on the incident to their higher-ups as well as to the Nimhans director.