The South African government has sent nearly 3,000 troops to assist hospitals across the country after more than 1 million striking workers defied a court order to return to work, pushing the public sector strike to its six day.

The soldiers were deployed on Monday to 37 paralysed hospitals to help keep basic health services running and protect the few staff that did show up to work.

Al Jazeera's Haru Mutasa reports from the South African city of Johannesburg.

[August 23, 2010]