I've registered for Public NOW WHAT?

F

Faithools

New member
I'm about 6 weeks pregnant so my GP tells me.
I did a home pregnancy test which told me i was over 5 weeks so i went to see my 'local' GP and he confirmed my pregnancy with another urine test.
He wrote me a referral letter for the Tsan Yuk Hospital which i'm grateful that is so close to home.
I went in there today and they made my appointment for the 7th of May.
I haven't even had a blood test yet or been looked at by anyone. I understand that many women miscarriage during these weeks and they don't want to mis use their resources but i need some peace of mind.
I'd like to have a check up/ultrasound now. i'll be 11 weeks by the time i see someone.
This is my first child, so i am totally clueless about the ins and outs of pregnancy - especially in Hong Kong.

Some advice on how to get some peace of mind that everything is okay in my belly would be great.
 
You can go to see a private OB at any time throughout your pregnancy and they will give you a scan. There is a directory on this website that you can see the list of all OBs and just call around to see where you can get an appointment. There can sometimes be a wait of a couple of weeks for your first appointment, but you might get lucky. Just explain to the doctor on your first isit that you will be going public and they are fine with that.
 
Hi faithools, i had the same start as you, a home unrine test and then a doctors urine test. I'm 11 weeks now and I know what you are going through exactly! My first public hospital appointment isn't until next week even so I was going to have to wait until 12 weeks before seeing anything or doing any further tests.
It's awful that you can't help reading horror stories about people who miscarried and didn't know, or you read the symptoms of miscarriages and there are a lot you can have and be totally healthy, it's a minefield. I finally broke last week as the anxiety was getting me and went for a private scan to check everything was ok and really happeneing! it is thankfully! I don't think you can have a scan at 6 weeks so you may have to wait until around 8-10 to definitely get the heart beat and see that you are really doing it. My appointment cost me just over 2000hkd so it's not cheap to get that peace of mind but I think it was worth it. You may have to wait it out a bit longer but at least you have good time to plan a private appointment and cross check prices if you want to go in a few weeks.
 
you shouldn't need a blood test. I had my first scan at 6 weeks, it cost $1500. We saw our little bean and the heart beat, but you could wait for 7 weeks to be sure. I know the feeling of wanting to know it's all ok, but you just need to trust your body - you've got 8 more months to go! :)



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why would you need a blood test? you already know you are pregnant. i believe that a scan at 6 weeks is pointless. the only scan that would see anything would be a vaginal scan... i did have one of those because i had spotting... but unless there is something wrong, like spotting, there isn't much point as there isn't much to see. but i can understand your eagerness! i felt exactly the same. just hang on until you are closer to the 12 week mark and then go for a private scan if you want. if you can wait until 15 weeks, then you may even be able to find out the sex of the baby.

congratulations!
 
I agree on waiting a bit to do the scan, if you want to do one just for the joy of seeing the wee one and reassurance that all is well. Eight weeks would give be better, or maybe 10 weeks if you can wait. Then the public hospital would probably arrange a scan with the OSCAR test between 12 and 14 weeks so you're scans would be nicely spaced out.

Also, if it's just a simple scan you want, and cost is a concern, there seems to be a wide variation. I never paid more than 1000$ for a consult and scan.
 
Hi Faithools,

I had the exact same thing as you.. I found out I was pregnant and then I was reffered to a public hospital and they gave me the appointment when I was 12 weeks.

(My case was a little different because I had no clue how far along I was I knew I was roughly 7-9 weeks.. so they gave me an ultrasound to see how far gone I was).

Believe me I know its hard, but you wont get that many scans throughout your pregnancy, they are always things to look foward too.

Just hold out until the 11 weeks, too many scans arnt healthy, the public system in HK is fabulous. I am so impressed with the quality of care I have recieved so far.. I'm 21 weeks pregnant already - time flies!

Having a scan with a private ob/gyn all the time is costly and not needed! Hold out for those few weeks/months until your next scan - because it is SO WORTH IT. Seeing your baby for the first time is magical and makes the weeks feel like seconds. For the mean time relax and enjoy your pregnancy.

Congratulations! x
 
I've not seen any evidence that 'too many' scans are unhealthy. It wouldn't be a good idea to have them just for fun, because they haven't been proven to be safe - but that's not the same thing as being proven to be unsafe. I had 10 scans and my baby is fine.

A 6 week scan will tell you: is there a fetus in there (I had no idea you could get a positive pregnancy test without a fetus), how many babies there are, where it is (to rule out ectopic pregnancies), whether it is the right size and shape for the dates, how far along you are (if you're not sure of your dates), what your due date is and (usually) whether the heart is beating well. Obviously you can and will find out all this information later on in your pregnancy instead but I don't see any harm in knowing sooner rather than later if that's what you want.
 
Hi Faithools,

I agreed you don't really need a blood test. But I totally agree that public hospital should have taken care every pregnancy case by case basis. I had an ectopic before. Thus, my doctors Hong Kong and Singapore recommended me to get checked as early as possible once I tested positive. I explained this to Tsan Yuk hospital and Tang Chi Ngong MCHC. They didn't really care and still put me for my first scanning on 11th week.
Nevertheless, I did not want to depend on luck. If it had been another ectopic, by 11th week I would already have had died in the process. Thus, I went to Dr. Ghosh for checkup. It only cost 900HKD. In fact, I am now switching to Dr. Ma Ching Yee whose cost is more affordable to us. She is charging HKD600-700 inclusive of ultrasound. So, I'm unsure if it will cost 2K like anywhere else.
Anyway, congratz!!! Hope you have a happy and healthy pregnancy
 
I was charged 2200 for an appointment with scan with Dr Stephenson in central, I was charged 2400 for scan and Oscar blood test with Dr Patrick Chan also in central and I was quoted 3000 for a scan with a doctor in Sheung Wan, all of these are listed on this site so it's easy to pay over 2k. Of course you can easy shop around and call all the doctors and they'll tell you the prices over the phone.
 
I went through the same thing as you did when I was pregnant with my 1st. I was in the UK and there they don't offer you a scan till 12 weeks. And to make things worse, when I went to the GP after testing myself positive with a shop bought test kit, she just said she'll refer me to the hospital and that was it! She didn't even bother to test me again! So I waited till 8 weeks and had my 1st appointment at at the hospital and again, it was just another questions and answers appointment! It was till I was 12 weeks pregnant that I actually had some confirmation from the professional that I'm actually pregnant! But trust me, it was worth the wait!!!!!!! and I was told you don't see much at 6 weeks pregnant anyways.
 
Dillon said:
I was charged 2200 for an appointment with scan with Dr Stephenson in central, I was charged 2400 for scan and Oscar blood test with Dr Patrick Chan also in central and I was quoted 3000 for a scan with a doctor in Sheung Wan, all of these are listed on this site so it's easy to pay over 2k. Of course you can easy shop around and call all the doctors and they'll tell you the prices over the phone.
Click to expand...

HKD3000 or thereabouts for an OSCAR test seems to be the going rate. But for a regular scan and check-up at an ob/gyn there are still docs who would charge 1000hkd. I used Eric Lee in Prince's Building Central in 2010-2011. And a doctors at the Union Polyclinic in Tseung Kwan O charged me 700hkd for scan and check-up. Both docs were great. Their fees may have gone up but I doubt they have doubled. I'm saying this so that people doing the private-public combination are not deterred by 2000$ at every visit. There are cheaper options, and the docs I've seen were all great.
 
Yes; our doctor charges HKD 800 for scan+visit as well. And this includes monthly dosage of Metarna. HKD 2000+ is mostly by doctors with more expat clientele. "Normal" rates are much lower. This is not to say any doctor is better than the other - just that there are plenty of options.
 
Hi Faithools,

You literally posted this on the day I went to the public hospital to register and had a complete breakdown over the whole situation. No one was friendly, no one was informative, and no one spoke English. Nothing like crying as you leave the cramped registration area to have people staring...
Anyway, your questions were the same as mine, same moment, and the answers have been so reassuring.
I took the advice others said, and booked an appt. at my clinic in Tai Wai. To see the obstetrician is $600, and then $300 for an ultrasound. The earliest appointment I could get was for next week. But public hospitals / private clinics seem to be the way to go.
Thanks for asking / sharing info everyone!!
 
bellamojo said:
Hi Faithools,

You literally posted this on the day I went to the public hospital to register and had a complete breakdown over the whole situation. No one was friendly, no one was informative, and no one spoke English. Nothing like crying as you leave the cramped registration area to have people staring...
Anyway, your questions were the same as mine, same moment, and the answers have been so reassuring.
I took the advice others said, and booked an appt. at my clinic in Tai Wai. To see the obstetrician is $600, and then $300 for an ultrasound. The earliest appointment I could get was for next week. But public hospitals / private clinics seem to be the way to go.
Thanks for asking / sharing info everyone!!
Click to expand...

Which hospital did you go to?
 
Hi there,
I went to Prince of Wales in Sha Tin as it's the one in my area. I've heard many positive things on this site since, but it was shell shocking for me at the time! Literally broke down in sobs....I couldn't believe the only thing asked of me was by a receptionist who kept asking me my ID number and if I was "sure" about my due date!
 
bellamojo said:
Hi Faithools,

You literally posted this on the day I went to the public hospital to register and had a complete breakdown over the whole situation. No one was friendly, no one was informative, and no one spoke English. Nothing like crying as you leave the cramped registration area to have people staring...
Anyway, your questions were the same as mine, same moment, and the answers have been so reassuring.
I took the advice others said, and booked an appt. at my clinic in Tai Wai. To see the obstetrician is $600, and then $300 for an ultrasound. The earliest appointment I could get was for next week. But public hospitals / private clinics seem to be the way to go.
Thanks for asking / sharing info everyone!!
Click to expand...

I know how you feel here. I went to Tsan yuk and it's wasn't particularly pleasant either, especially after I'd had 2 very lovely and reassuring private appointments in slick new offices. The wait was long and service quite brusque and the information wasn't so forthcoming. I was told to wait until they called my name for the blood tests, but it turned out as I patiently waited for 25 mins it was a free for all and who ever pushed through the door first got seen. Really made me wonder about going private in those 3 hours I was so cranky! But luckily you hardly have to go there I think as the prenatal checks up minimal. thankfully I did the oscar test and scan privately so could bypass that extra wait. I think with the private back up, the public is doable. Now I know what to expect next time ;)
 
Always very frustrating definitely, but, they are good at what they do - especially if you have complications. I think the knack is to go in expecting it to be a terrible couple of hours, and then you won't be disappointed! My husband always got mad when they'd snap 'ID card!' without even looking at you, but I guess I've been in hk so long I'm numb to it now.
 
To Bellamojo & Faithools,

As I am typing this, I am waiting to register (at 17 weeks) at Prince of Wales Shatin & this is my second baby in this hospital. It's certainly intimidating when no one speaks your language & you don't know the next steps as you sit & wait forever. Just sitting here right now brings back my anxiety. I find, and this is just a personal observation, that my paperwork seem to take longer. It feels frustrating when they seem to be calling everyone & the other women are breezing in & out while you sit & wait. Perhaps foreign documents take a few more steps & when I go to the counter, they do find an English speaking person for me. If you have appointments in a public hospital, set aside plenty of time, expect service to be abrupt but come in with lots of patience & a smile.

Btw, I do shared care (private check-ups). Bellamojo, which clinic in Tai Wai do you go? I go all the way to Wan Chai & central for mine & I live in Tai Wai.
 
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