Coimbatore : About 15,000 doctors in the private hospitals and clinics in three neighbouring districts struck work for 12 hours from 6 am today in protest against setting up of National Medical Commission by the Centre.Though inpatients and delivery cases were attended to as usual, examining outpatients was totally stopped and operations that were not so serious were postponed in majority of the hospital, IMA sources said.

There are over 500 hospitals both large and small and also clinics, in which nearly 8,000 doctors work in and around Coimbatore city. Doctors in more than 50 hospitals in rural areas like Mettupalayam also participated in the strike.

About 3,000 doctors in over 450 hospitals in Tirupur district joined the strike as also those in the Nilgiris.The Government had promised the IMA not to pursue with the proposal to set up the commission, when doctors struck work in January last.

However, the Centre not only failed to keep its promise, but was going ahead with constitution the commission, which would adversely affect the functioning of private hospitals and doctors, they said.