Private health facilities in Kisumu county are registering an increased number of patients as a result of the ongoing medical staff strike in public hospitals within the county.
The public hospital medics have remained in strike despite the county claiming to have met its obligations to have the group head back to their work stations.
However, through its leaders, the Kenya National Union of Clinical Officers and the Kenya National Union of Medical Laboratory Officers have rejected the calls.
The unions say that they have not been served with the return to work formula, urging their members to stay put.
Consequently, private hospitals within the county have seen an increase in number of patients, among them the Nightingale Hospital in Kondele.
The same was the case at the Avenue Hospital and Aga Khan Hospitals which is close to the county's largest referral hospital, the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital.
"We are now seeing patients who would have gone to a public hospital,” said Mr David Ochieng, the nurse in charge of the Accident and Emergency Unit at Aga Khan.
However, patients relying on their Universal Health Care (UHC) cards were left stranded as some facilities rejected the cards as a government scheme.