Egyptian doctors began a partial strike on Monday to demand better pay and working conditions, their syndicate said.

Doctors at 540 government hospitals have stopped work, but emergency and intensive-care units will continue to operate, it said.

"The strike will be in about 540 public hospitals, which is equivalent to 40 percent of the health services provided to citizens around the country," Khairy Abdel Dayem, the head of the doctors syndicate, told state media.

The strike will pile more pressure on the government which has been facing a series of state-employee actions across the country.