ACCRA, Ghana (AP) — Ghana's Medical Association says more doctors working at public hospitals across the country are set to join a strike demanding better working conditions.

Patients in the capital, Accra, lined up on Friday at medical facilities, hoping the strike wouldn't affect their care.

Ellen Nortey, an 87-year-old who was at an Accra hospital with malaria, said she was told by nurses that the doctors wouldn't see her. She said the doctors may have a grievance, but sick Ghanaians shouldn't suffer.

The National Labor Commission, which arbitrates such issues, says the strike is illegal.

The Medical Association has threatened the government with mass resignations over the past few months if their demands were not met. A meeting Wednesday ended in deadlock, and the country's doctors withdrew outpatient care on Thursday.