CAIRO, March 17 (Aswat Masriya) Egypt's Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab has urged doctors to suspend their strike for three months until the government considers their demands and means to address them.

Mahlab met with some of the striking doctors and Health Minister Adel al-Adawy on Sunday. He said that their demands were legitimate, according to a cabinet statement.

Egyptian doctors began a partial strike in January to protest the poor condition of their salaries and the medical equipment they are provided with.

The Doctors Syndicate has announced that the strike is taking place as the government continues to ignore healthcare problems that doctors face. The strike does not include emergency rooms or critical cases.

There was a similar strike against the deteriorating status of healthcare in October 2012 that ended in March 2013 without any of the doctors’ demands being met.