Chandigarh, Jul 31 (IANS): Medical services were affected in Punjab and Haryana on Wednesday after doctors of state-run hospitals joined a day-long strike called by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) to protest against the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill, 2019.

The impact of the strike was seen more in rural areas of both the states. In urban areas, private doctors too joined the strike.

Medical services in the out-patient departments (OPDs) were severely affected due to the strike.

Patients and their attendants said they were made to suffer due to government's failure to resolve the issue amicably.

"Only the common man suffers because of the strike," Ajaib Singh, a resident of Bathinda town in Punjab who brought his father for treatment here, said.

Medical services were also badly hit in Chandigarh's Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) which caters to patients from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Chandigarh.