The emergency services have been deluged with phone calls

Association of French emergency hospital doctors

The "day without doctors" is the culmination of a series of protests within the French health service, and is reported to have been supported by about 75% of general practitioners.

Some regions have reported up to 90% participation in the strike.

Many specialists, surgeons and dentists and some emergency workers are also staying at home. Hospital doctors are not involved.

The strike follows a demonstration by French nurses who took to the streets in their thousands on Tuesday.

Call for compromise

GPs are calling for for higher fees for consultations and visits - a similar demand to that of the nurses.

Bernard Kouchner: Deal rejected by unions

"The emergency services have been deluged with phone calls, which was to be expected," said Patrick Pelloux, president of the association of French emergency hospital doctors.

However, he added that the situation in bigger cities, including Paris, was normal.

The employment ministry has called on patients "to not go to hospital for things that can wait for tomorrow".

Minister Elisabeth Guigou indicated on Wednesday that she was in favour of a reassessment of health workers' pay, but called for a "spirit of dialogue and compromise".

Health Minister Bernard Kouchner has already proposed a deal, but it has been rejected by the unions.

Hospital workers also took action on Monday over their complaint that not enough extra staff have been hired to cope with France's 35-hour working week legislation.

The BBC's James Coomarasamy says that the strikes are proving increasingly worrying for Lionel Jospin's government, which knows that the doctors' actions have public support.

Mr Jospin is expected to run for the presidency in April and a drawn-out strike could prove politically damaging.