Lucknow, Jun 6 (IANS): Doctors of private hospitals in Uttarakhand on Tuesday went on a four-hour token strike to protest growing incidents of violence against them, an Indian Medical Association (IMA) official said.

The token strike caused inconvenience to the critically ill patients.

IMA's Regional General Secretary D.D. Chowdhary said that despite their best efforts to save lives of patients brought to the private hospitals, many a time when they fail, the doctors have to face wrath of relatives, who sometimes beat them up.

Chowdhary said that such actions have escalated to some fatalities. The private doctors were hence seeking more security.

They were also protesting the creation of the National Medical Commission to replace the Medical Council of India. They are unhappy with the fact that people from other sectors would also be given place on the commission.

IMA office-bearers pointed out that there were also a host of other problems for which they have decided to strike work.