Patna: Services at Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH) took a hit on Wednesday morning after postgraduate medical students of the institute went on a strike over poor hostel facilities.

The strike crippled services at the outpatient department (OPD), surgery and other departments. The strike was, however, called off in the evening after the college administration assured the students of accepting their demands.

As postgraduate students are the backbone of the OPD many patients had to return without treatment. Shankar Vishwakarma, 80, who had come from Bakhtiyarpur, around 40km east of Patna had to return without treatment.

"For the past few days I have been witnessing severe stomach ache. A doctor in Bakhtiyarpur referred me to Patna. As NMCH is nearer Bakhtiyarpur, I thought of coming here. But there's no one at the OPD. I have to now go back without treatment," Vishwakarma said.

His was not an isolated case as there were many whose treatments were affected. Sources said only half-a-dozen operations could be performed compared to 50 on normal days.

The students have been demanding a hostel upgrade.

NMCH Junior Doctor Association president Ravi Ranjan Kumar said: "The hostel in which we are staying is bereft of basic infrastructure. There is neither electricity nor drinking water. We have been demanding improvement in facilities but our request has fallen on deaf ears."

NMCH superintendent Anand Prasad Singh said most of the demands of the students have been accepted. Singh said: "We have assured the students that electricity and safe drinking water will be made available to them."