'We are getting stipend of Rs.13,000 in the first year, Rs.14,000 in the second year and Rs.15,000 in the third year of post-graduation. We are demanding that this amount be increased to Rs.22,500 at par with some of the neighbouring states,' he said.

The strike has badly hit emergency, outdoor and surgery services of the hospital.

Most of the wards of the hospital wore a deserted look as hundreds of patients were forced to shift to private nursing homes. 'Those who cannot afford treatment outside have been left in the lurch and and waiting for treatment despite the strike,' a nurse told IANS.

She said the strike has become a death trap for poor patients who are helpless and can not go for private treatment. 'It is really a bad situation. Neither the striking doctors nor the government realise the problem. You can imagine that the emergency ward has few patients. In normal days, the emergency ward remains overcrowded and patients have to be treated on the floor due to shortage of beds,' she said.