Chennai: Tamil Nadu Government Doctors' Association on May 19 night withdrew its proposed indefinite strike from May 21 in support of medical students agitating against opening private medical colleges in the state.

TNGDA President Dr K Prakasam and General Secretary Dr Muthurajan in a statement said the Association at a late night meeting decided to withdraw the strike call in view of the "the sufferings the poor patients would be subject to".

They expressed the hope that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa would meet all their demands.

Earlier in the day, the Association suffered a split with a section of doctors, opposed to the strike plan, forming a separate outfit - Tamil Nadu Government Doctors' Federation - with senior civil surgeon of Vellore Government Hospital V S Vijay as convenor.

PTI