Kochi, Feb 1 (IANS) The Kerala High Court Wednesday directed police to provide protection to a private hospital which recruited 100 new nurses after failure of talks over the last three days to end a strike by the staff seeking better wages.

Nurses at the Lakeshore hospital here are on a strike seeking better working conditions, forcing the management to approach the court.

The hospital management informed the court that their attempts to end the strike through talks failed but since patients were suffering they had recruited 100 new nurses.