Some private health facilities in Kisumu are grappling with an influx of patients following the ongoing strike by public healthcare workers.
A spot check at Nightingale Hospital at Kondele, Aga Khan and Avenue hospitals showed overwhelming number of patients.
Nightingale Hospital had the highest number of patients at the children's clinic, maternity ward and general wards.
The hospital administrator Philip Kai said the facility had been overstretched since it offered free neonatal care and had low charges for lab services. Drugs at its pharmacy was also found to be relatively cheaper.
But many patients with Universal Health Care (UHC) cards were stranded at some private hospitals since they were unaware the facilities did not offer services under Government scheme.
At Avenue Hospital, the facility's administrator Vicky Okoth observed that the number of outpatients had slightly gone up.
At the Aga Khan Hospital, the nurse in charge of Accident and Emergency Unit David Ochieng' said the strike had an impact on the number of patients.
“We are now seeing patients who would have gone to a public hospital,” said Mr Ochieng', who attributed the increase to the facility's proximity to the county referral hospital.
The Standard has established that available health workers have been forced to extend working hours, with many private facilities making referrals to Kakamega, Siaya and Vihiga hospitals.
Although a few nurses started streaming back to public hospitals, the situation remained dire because doctors vowed to continue with the strike because of a disputed Collective Bargaining Agreement with the county government.
A Press release signed by Health Executive Judith Attyang' stated that the county government had met its obligations and made salary payments to striking workers as agreed in a return-to-work formula.
The Press release advised all workers to resume duty immediately to end the suffering of patients witnessed in the last couple of weeks.
But union leaders said they had not been served with the return-to-work notice and urged health workers to stay put.
The officials of Kenya National Union of Nurses, Kenya Union of Clinical Officers and Kenya National Union of Medical Laboratory Officers said the circular had been addressed to the media.
