Panaji, Dec 11 (IANS): Doctors affiliated to the IMA in Goa on Friday participated in the nationwide strike against the Centre's recent decision to allow postgraduate ayurvedic doctors to perform different surgeries, with a senior official claiming that services were not hit due to alternate arrangements.

Speaking to IANS, Indian Medical Association-Goa President Dr S Samuel said that doctors in Goa had been told to withdraw from providing non-essential and non-Covid-related services till later in the evening.

"We have requested our member doctors to withdraw all services other than these two," Samuel said. The daylong strike will culminate at 6 pm.

He said that he was hopeful that the central government will heed to the demands of the IMA. "We have already raised this issue in Goa with Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant," Samuel said.

A senior Official in the state Directorate of Health Services said: "No emergency services or treatment of Covid-19 patients has been impacted on account of the strike by IMA-affiliated doctors. We have made special provisions at our public health centres to ensure that the common man is not impacted by the absence of doctors for routine duties."