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Timeline for first visit (both private and public)?

  1. #17
    not pizza is offline Registered User
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    Unfortunately not! In fact I also don't have any recent utility bills in my name either, I keep almost everything electronic. I'll bring a few random pieces of paper and hope for the best - sounds like we don't really have a choice.
    Ah no wait, found a paper water bill, under my name - uhm...

    Last edited by not pizza; 10-23-2012 at 10:39 PM.

  2. #18
    Aquarian is offline Registered User
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    In that case I'd bring anything you can get your hands on and blind them with paperwork. Good luck!


  3. #19
    charade is offline Registered User
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    Seems to me like there are two separate issues here:
    1. Getting an appointment for Down's Screening in the public system: If you have registered at a public hospital and called/emailed them, they will contact you. I recall for my son I had the same panic but they did call me back and it was arranged. However, that was in 2010 and they weren't providing it free of charge to all women in the system. As of last year (2011), they are offering it free to all eligible women registered for antenatal care in the public system but I guess this means there has been a flood and thus the first-come-first-served. However, since your wife is over 35, she should get priority.
    To sort this out, you could try going down to the obstetrics unit you registered at to talk to them again but at least in the case of Prince of Wales, the unit that does the scanning is a separate one so you'd do better to try to call/email/contact them directly.
    Just in case, I'd try to make a booking privately. Honestly, Dr Yu is quite busy... not sure you'd get an appointment at short notice (the reason I didn't see him in the end; I needed to make my appointments at shorter notice) but you could explain the situation or see if they can recommend someone else. Being a hospital polyclinic they will have a panel.
    Same with Baptist Hospital... you could call the hospital and ask who can fit you in for the one-off procedure.

    2. Your wife throwing up and not being able to eat. For this, if you want to go public, I think you'd have to go to the A&E and yes, unless there are other complications, it will be a long wait. A friend with a similar problem waited something akin to 3 hours or more at the end of which they sent her home with some anti-nausea drugs. Another friend ended up being hospitalised for dehydration... not sure how long she had to wait though but obviously her case was considered more serious. So it depends how they assess the case, not necessary she will be whizzed through because she's pregnant. The public hospital I went to (Tseung Kwan O) had a notice up at the obstetrics clinic saying if you need to make an unscheduled appointment, you should go to a private doctor (!) or the A&E... they have too much demand. However, they did once advance my appointment when I called and explained that a private doctor had certified my baby as breech and a quick decision on delivery would have to be taken. So you can try the obstetrics clinic but I suspect in this case they will head you off to A&E.
    Honestly, I'd just try to find a private doctor to assess your wife and if she's really in bad shape, a letter from that doctor might speed up the process in the public system.

    Last edited by charade; 10-24-2012 at 09:46 AM.
    carang likes this.

  4. #20
    m_c
    m_c is offline Registered User
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    When you register at the public hospital they will immediately arrange the Down's syndrome screening and your first antenatal appointment for a few weeks later. I registered at 7 weeks (you don't see a doc but just the person at the counter and give them all your documents) and then they gave me the appointment slips. There is no need to keep trying to call the hospital as this will just get you frustrated. As I have said previously go and see a private doctor if you have concerns between now and your first appointment at the public hospital.

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  5. #21
    not pizza is offline Registered User
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    Thanks all for your concern, really appreciated!

    For the benefit of posterity, this is what happened this morning at Prince of Wales Hospital (near Sha Tin).
    Got off the bus, followed the crowd (no info/signs around apart from A&E) and got to an information point. We asked for Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and they directed us to the "South Wing" (but you really have follow the signs for "Li Ka Shing Specialist Outpatient Clinic"), 2nd floor.
    Got there at opening time (9am).
    It's official: if you only have a bill under the husband's name, you need to also bring your original certificate of marriage. You also need to bring your ID card and your spouse's, as well as your GP's referral. Filled in a form, please wait for 1 hour(!) so that someone can work out the dates of your two appointments, print them, and staple them to some general info about said appointments.
    We did not see a doctor or even a nurse today, it was purely bureaucracy to register with that hospital and get the two appointments.
    We still don't know whether the actual patient needs to be there during all this. My guess is no, so long as you have her ID card. Knowing this would have saved my wife a lot of stress and discomfort.
    Anyway, the two appointments are:
    1. Down Syndrome Screening (nuchal translucency via ultrasounds + PAPP-A & hCG via blood sample), week 12. Still not sure if this is the same as the OSCAR that they do privately in the same place. I'll ask.
    2. General Obstetrics, week 24(!)

    We also had booked a visit on week 13 with our MCHC.
    When we called our MCHC after going to our GP, they misled us because they advised us to call the hospital's voicemail and wait for a callback (have not heard back yet). Going to the hospital ASAP was the right thing to do - like Aquarian said it's not possible to register by phone anyway.

    At the hospital they wrote down that they gave us info about morphology test and OSCAR, but they did not. I gather these are elective and need to be paid for via private appointments. We'll consider our options, the important thing is to have secured the appointments, and yes, it's confirmed that there is a quota for the Down Syndrome screening.

    Official info on the above

    The only thing I'm not sure about is whether or not to have an early ultrasound scan to nail down the conception+due dates, so that the NT scan can be more accurate. The hospital printouts recommend doing this only if her cycle is irregular or if the first day of the last period is uncertain, neither of which is true in our case, so we should be fine.


  6. #22
    not pizza is offline Registered User
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    As for her nausea etc, I don't think it's too bad, she is eating a bit now. We'll see how it goes, thanks again for your suggestions.


  7. #23
    m_c
    m_c is offline Registered User
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    Glad to hear you got it all sorted out. Though I am surprised that your first antenatal appointment isn't until after 20 weeks! Is this because you already made an appointment with the MCHC?
    I had heard that PWH was really slow but an hour to make your appointments is crazy!! Took me 5 minutes at PMH! Good luck with the rest if your appointments!


  8. #24
    carang's Avatar
    carang is offline Registered User
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    Shatin is so busy because it serves most of the northern new territories....oh, and those coming down from the mainland...

    ps> when i registered with tsan yuk (many years ago), it took my over an hour, too.


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