Bihar's government doctors went on a two-day statewide strike on Thursday after negotiations with the state government over their demands failed.
About 4,200 government doctors under the banner of the Bihar State Health Services Association are on strike on Thursday and Friday to protest the failure of the state government to fulfil their demands, which include a central pay scale and implementation of an assured career promotion scheme.
"The two-day state-wide government doctors' strike will paralyse health services. Doctors will not attend to emergencies during the strike," said BSHSA spokesperson Ranjit Kumar.
The BSHSA, in its executive committee meeting in Patna last week, decided that the doctors would proceed on an indefinite strike from February 21 if their demands were not met, Singh added.
Singh said that despite Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar's assurances and the Patna high court's intervention, the state government had not met their demands.
Health minister Chandra Mohan Rai said the government has formally announced that it would meet all the demands of BSHSA, provided the medical officers agreed to submit separate affidavits saying they would not carry on private practices.
"The government will meet all the demands if government doctors submit the affidavits," Rai said.
