A strike called by junior doctors of a hospital here entered the second day on September 26 even as 12 patients died in the last 24 hours, officials said.

The doctors from the Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) began their strike on Monday after one of their colleagues was assaulted by family members of a patient. "Doctors are not attending patients in wards as they continued to stay off duty. Patients are now being looked after by nurses and para-medical staff," an official said. 

The protesting doctors have demanded a security cover during duty hours and action against misbehaving patients' families. The doctors have said that they would not end their strike on mere assurances by the state government. The strike has left hundreds of patients, many of them in a serious condition, in trouble.