Patna, Aug 31 - A five-day-old strike by the junior doctors in a hospital here has claimed the lives of at least 38 patients even as the Bihar government Monday served notices to the medicos and asked them to return to work or face action, an official said.

A day after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed his anger at the doctors' strike that has paralysed health services in the Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), Health Secretary C.K. Mishra served notices on doctors asking them to report back to duty.

PMCH sources said negotiations between striking doctors and the hospital authorities are on but the deadlock continues.

'At least six patients have died in the last 24 hours alone (Sunday-Monday) due to lack of doctors and treatment in the hospital,' a government official said on condition of anonymity.

The official said lack of doctors in the emergency ward led to most of the deaths. Thirty-eight people have died since the strike Wednesday evening.

But the government is yet to officially confirm any death due to the strike.

'Whatever deaths have been reported were not from want of care, but because of natural causes,' PMCH superintendent O.