OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) — Doctors and nurses are on strike at Burkina Faso's public health centers throughout the West African country, leaving only medical students to help the sick.

In a desperate attempt to save lives, the government has requisitioned army health workers though most patients were still languishing without care.

Souro Sanou, a spokesman for the main hospital in the capital, said one-third of the patients seeking help at the trauma unit left without receiving treatment.

Burkina Faso's health minister strongly condemned the strike that is to end Friday, saying some workers should have continued working.

The strike comes amid an outbreak of dengue fever, which already has sickened more than 1,000 people and killed at least 15. It also the season for meningitis cases in Burkina Faso.