An indefinite strike by over 11,000 junior doctors in Andhra Pradesh affected medical services in government-run hospitals across the state Thursday.

The strike by doctors studying at 10 government-run medical colleges has hampered medical services at the hospitals attached to these colleges.

The outpatient services in Osmania Hospital and Gandhi Hospital here and in other major hospitals in Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Guntur and Tirupati were also affected by the strike, the fifth in as many years.

The junior doctors are protesting against the proliferation of private medical colleges with poor infrastructure and unqualified faculty.

They boycotted classes, stayed away from duty and took out rallies to protest against the government's failure to address their problems.

Andhra Pradesh Junior Doctors Association (APJUDA) is demanding a limit to the number of medical colleges in the state and cancellation of essentiality certificates given to 15 new medical colleges by the previous Telegu Desam Party (TDP) government.

APJUDA president B.R. Suresh said if the government failed to meet the demands in a week they would intensify the strike and boycott even emergency services.

He said the government should review its policy of permitting new private medical colleges. He alleged that Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, himself a physician, betrayed them after having supported their strike while in opposition.

The junior doctors had last gone on strike for 42 days in December 2003. The then TDP government had formed a committee headed by Justice Jeevan Reddy to look into their demands.

APJUDA is demanding implementation of the committee's recommendations, including cancellation of essentiality certificates for 15 new colleges and reconstitution of a committee formed to monitor the functioning of private colleges.