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Mixed feedback on hospitals - any advice!!

  1. #1
    stepheninhk is offline Registered User
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    Feb 2007
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    Mixed feedback on hospitals - any advice!!

    My wife is now 9.5 weeks pregnant and we had our 1st ultrascan at a private dr at 5.5 weeks.

    However now we have to register at a hospital for the pre-natel and delivery

    We live on HK Island in Kennedy Town and some of my friends say that the best public hospital on HK Island is in Chai Wan (Pamela Youth) for all and not to go to QMH as they have a lot of students there and you cannot guarantee who you get.

    Then my other friends say not to go public and if you can afford it go private (but we dont have any medical insurance for this) as now all public hospitals are getting full with pregnany women from mainland china and therefore you may not get a bed and end up sleeping in the corridor on fold out beds. Also ive heard that they try to get you out quick and cut you mor than necessary during delivery to get the baby out quicker.

    Also they say its better to register in both a private & public hospital to get the best of both worlds as if you have complicationsx during the delivery the public hospitals are best equipped for any problems.

    With going private they say that you have to choose a dr and then find a hospital to go to where he works!!

    I am really interested in people experiences in using Pamela Youth in Chai Wan and Tsun Yuk/QMH or going the private route-

    Which one is the best way for us to go - please help us as were really confused right now and dont want to be stuck with some unexperienced dr or sleeping in the corridor.

    Thanks very much


  2. #2
    bekyboo44 is offline Registered User
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    private

    Hi,

    I know nothing about the public route- so can't help you there!
    I saw a private obstetrican during my pregnancy and then chose to deliver at the Matilda. However my insurance paid for all of it- the cost otherwise is pretty astronomical....you are looking at approx. $100,000 for delivery, stay in hospital, pedietrician, anaesethic etc. alone plus approx. $1,000+ per obstetrician.

    However it was fantastic being able to choose my own doctor, not having to wait for hrs to see him, and having as much time as I needed to ask questions, see him etc. It also meant I could call him any time of the day (or night) with any concerns/worries etc. I was also able to have ultrasounds as and when I wanted/needed them and all diagnostic tests/ultrasounds etc.

    My experience at the Matilda was fantastic- the service, nurses, care, help etc. was second to none and it was a great experience (something I especially treasure and appreciate as this was my first baby.)

    For me, with a second baby, I would do it private all the way....but like I said I am fortunate to have insurance that will pay for it; am not sure what we would do if we had to pay for it ourself!


  3. #3
    kashismum is offline Registered User
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    First and foremost is to decide if you are going to go public or private (or a combination). As said, 100k all-in is a generous estimate of a private delivery + pre-natal (My last at the Advetist was about 75k). If you can afford it, do it. And then, yes, you'll choose your doctor at the same time as considering which hospitals s/he is affiliated with. Some private hospitals such as St Paul's have pretty good deals and you can budget for less, but you get what you pay for.

    If you choose to go public and you are a HK resident, you are guaranteed a bed. There's always the faint possibility you'll be in the corridor, but unlikely. I have had extended stays at public hospitals including Pamela Youde for reasons other than maternity and the level of service/comfort leaves a lot to be desired IMO. But, you get excellent medical care for peanuts.

    If you registered at a private hospital and then needed to be rushed to QMH to deal with complications, the fact that you had not made a booking would not mean they'd turn you away.

    HTH


  4. #4
    barbwong_130 is offline Registered User
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    My personal view on the hospitals in Hong Kong is that if you can afford the Matilda go there. The doctors and nurses who work there are very much into pleasing the patients. So if it is safe you will be allowed to do it. It is also the most baby friendly hospital for breastfeeding (although if you want to breastfeed I would recommend finding out about it before you have the baby and not relying solely on the medical staff.)

    If the Matilda is too expensive (and it cost me $175,000 for my last baby there) then I would recommend any of the government hospitals. The policies in the government hospitals are very similar. They all expect you to look after your baby as soon as you are able to. This means that you actually get to know your baby before you go home. Many of the private hospitals only allow restricted access to the baby, even for the mother. This can have a devastating effect if you are trying to breastfeed but even if you aren’t it interrupts the early bonding.

    My view about having students is that you get two for the price of one. I had my third child in England and was asked if a student midwife could deliver me. I said yes and this meant that I had two midwives, the student plus a trained one supervising her.

    One reason that people sometimes give for going public is that if there is anything wrong during the birth the hospital has a NICU. This is true but unlikely to be necessary and if your baby did need such care because Hong Kong is such a small place any private hospital would be able to transfer the baby quickly.

    I had my first baby in Queen Mary and was happy with the care but not thrilled. I had my second in Matilda because we had partial insurance by that time and because the public hospital didn’t allow siblings to visit. My third was in England on the NHS in a small maternity unit which was great but because of cut backs this unit has now closed. And my last baby was born in Matilda with full insurance. I was very happy about this birth despite the fact it was a real emergency and my baby ended up in the special care unit. The medical care was second to none and I was able to be with my baby once she was allowed to move to the paediatric ward, something that wouldn’t have happened if I’d been in the public system.

    Best wishes with your choice,
    Barb


  5. #5
    Matty is offline Registered User
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    If you don't have insurance, you can rest assured that the public system is fine.
    I delivered at QMH last year and they were great. You didn't get all the frills and nice things you get at a private hospital, but the medical care was 1st rate.

    I chose to pay for a private obstetrician for my prenatal care to avoid the hassle of the public system for checkups.


  6. #6
    beetoy is offline Registered User
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    I vote for Queen Mary as I had my first child born there recently (late Dec). It is the best in the public system (heard from many frens who are nurses as well as mummy frens), and it offers full range of antenatal classes (such as physio and breathing) as well as postnatal care and classes (baby check up, breastfeeding support and follow-up).

    I signed up for QMH high-risk group and delivered there with the support of very experienced midwifes and professional-grade doctors. One of the doctors in one consultation session even asked me to consider using epidural because that i may want to save energy for the final "push". Can you imagine that in today's public system there are still doctors who care more about the patient than the hospital's budget? I did apply epi (as well as induction) during my labor and only had to pay hkd400 for 3 days.

    The only thing you need to bear with QMH are:
    - different doctors attending you throughout all consultation sessions, and you cannot pick your favorite doctor to have attend your delivery. they all work on shifts.
    - long waiting time to your antenatal visits, and you are more treated like a number rather than a "customer". sometimes if you want more personal touch you just have to break a joke or ask something more "special". Remember the hospital staff are also normal people under long working hours and high pressure... help yourself by help making their work interesting.


  7. #7
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    carang is offline Registered User
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    i delivered both of my children in QMH. the last one was only 3 weeks ago.

    The nurses, altough way overworked are fantastic! Very friendly. i was also part of the high risk team. i saw the same 4 drs throughout my entire problem plagued pregnancy. two of the drs that i had seen throughout delivered my daughter by scheduled c-section.

    they were FANTASTIC!!!!

    the only thing is, it is COMPLETELY NO FRILLS! if you or your wife need the frills, go private!


  8. #8
    stepheninhk is offline Registered User
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    thanks for all your advice, paying 100,000 - 175,000 is a lot of money.

    Anyone have any experience with Pamela Youth in Chai Wan??


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