France, March 5 -- Hundreds of foreign-trained doctors working in France on Wednesday launched a three-day hunger strike, demanding job security and the right to stay in the country. The protest comes after the government failed to deliver on a promised extension of work permits, leaving many at risk of losing their jobs.

The doctors, who qualified outside the European Union, also plan to demonstrate outside the Health Ministry in Paris on Saturday.

Many work in medical fields facing staff shortages, including geriatrics, emergency medicine, visceral surgery and psychiatry.

They earn significantly less than their French counterparts - sometimes three times less - and are often employed on short-term contracts that renew every six month...