Dr Philip Ho- Any feedback??

J

joyofliving

Registered User
I have been seeing Dr Philip Ho for my second pregnancy. Today he came to office half hour late (I understand it was raining) but at the same time about 10 of his patients were right on time. His nurse rushed me into the examination room, it had a small monitor compared to the proper ultrasound machine. So I asked her if the doc was going to do an ultrasound and she said not today. I asked why he has done it for the past 4 appointments and I want to see my baby, excited to know if we are having a boy or girl. She didn't reply.
I asked Dr Ho when he came that why couldnt we do the ultrasound today, he was quite rude in replying "Did they do ultrasounds at QM with your previous baby, guess not?" I said yes they did do it regularly due to my medical condition. He was quite then. I asked him if we were having a boy or girl, he said "Its too early to tell" I said I am 17+ weeks so I thought we could know. He then investigated further and said "There is something between the legs so maybe its a boy but cant be too sure". This was the entire conversation we had during my appointment and I found his attitude very weird, maybe he was in a hurry to see other patients but still I did pay for his time (He took less than 5 mins to see me). Did anyone have similar experience with him?
 
That is bad. I wonder how they think that they are worth the money we pay for them when they rush the patients through!

You might consider having your 20 week scan with Dr Lam at HK Diagnostics. I am seeing Dr Grace Cheung but had my 12 and 20 week scans with Dr Lam and he is lovely and gives a detailed commentary while scanning. If I wasn't already seeing Grace, I might consider Dr Lam as my usual Obs as he is so nice and his ultrasound equipment is top notch.

SB2
 
I had a bad experience with him too, I'd never recommend him. But I know people who really like him too. I personally think he's all about the $$ and doesn't really care.

I gave birth at QMH and as soon as I told him I was thinking of that, he made it quite clear that he didn't want me to waste any more of his time. Before that, he was really nice - but as soon as I told him I was thinking of delivering at the public hospital, he was really rude and abrupt with me.

I ended up just going through the public hospital, but I went to Dr Lam for additional ultrasounds. Dr Lam told me my baby was a girl at the 13 week ultrasound. I didn't think you could even tell that early!! I asked him how sure he was, and he said "I'm very tempted to say 100% sure!" - and sure enough!

I really liked Dr Lam though - especially how he gives a DVD with each ultrasound - and you can hear the speaking too. He only really did the ultrasounds for me though, not all the other stuff that goes along with pregnancy. The main downside to him though was that the waiting room was always very crowded and he generally ran late too - but who doesn't??

For my 2nd pregnancy, I started out seeing Dr Ghosh and quite liked him - but unfortunately we lost the baby. One thing that impressed me with him though was that every time I needed to call and ask something, or if they called me or anything, I always talked to HIM, not one of the nurses. Of course I had to wait for 5 min because I'm sure he was always in an appointment, but he called me back so quickly each time!! I would go back to him again next time, I think...
 
I would love to change doctors before its too late but if someone can answer a simple question for me. I have a confirmed booking at Matilda, so if I change doctors will this one be cancelled? That would mean I will be in the waiting list for sure with a new booking.
 
To answer your last question - If you do switch, even now, and end up with any of the well-known ObGyns (Lucy Lord, Sally Ferguson, Dr. Gosh) you are pretty certain to get a room at Matilda - but do confirm with your new doctor before 'releasing' Dr. Ho.

But, before you consider that, I would like to add my two cents about Dr. Ho. He delivered my beautiful baby boy 10 months ago, and I was extremely pleased with him, particularly when it came down to the delivery. He is not the kindest, sweetest of doctors. But i started off seeing one of the nicest doctors (Dr. Dawkins, who has since left Hong Kong) and ended up switching to Dr. Ho because I had some complications and I did not like the way Dr. Dawkins handled them, I wanted a doctor who would get me pregnant, keep me pregnant, and make sure nothing went wrong in the delivery - and that is exactly what Dr. Ho does. He definitely has his 'grumpy' days, but from what i've heard, all private doctors in HK do! I found his nurse, Kelly, to be invaluable and very kind when my hormones were raging and I just didn't want to deal with a grumpy ObGyn.

I did have one complication at the delivery (baby had the cord wrapped around his neck twice) and Dr. Ho acted quickly and professionally with no adverse reaction to me or the baby.

When it comes down to it, however, you should really feel comfortable with the ObGyn you choose, and if you don't feel comfortable with him I would make the switch.

please feel free to PM me if you want any additional details.
 
kmalia thats what is my biggest concern, what if Dr Ho is in a 'grumpy' mood the day my little bundle decides its time to arrive? What if he has 3 other deliveries lined up the same day? Will he tell me lets induce you and get this baby out one way or the other? And if I want a natural birth will he tell me they induced you at QM didn't they, so why not this time? I had a difficult/ unpleasant experience with the birth of my first daughter and I want my second to be delivered safely and I want it to be happy experience for us. Will weigh my options and decide, not in a hurry :)
 
I've been seeing Dr Ho throughout my pregnancy and haven't had any problems with him.
Yes he's been late to morning appointments before, but compared to various reports of other Obstetricians (especially Dr Ghosh for some reason) it's not too bad. Both times he was late I just asked him if it was a busy morning and both times he was happy to tell me what he'd been up to that morning (one was a delivery and the other attending a patient who'd had a rough delivery the previous night).
I've also never found him rude, and he is quite patient with my questions.
My pregnancy has been complicated by a congenital vascular condition and he's had no problem liaising with my vascular surgeon overseas about my pregnancy and treatment.
Sure some other doctors scan more often, but if it's not necessary why bother. We have so many more scans here than in many other first-world private systems. Dr Ho actually sends you to Dr Lam for your 3D scan if and when it's needed.
If you don't like him then that's fine, I agree that you need to find a Dr with whom you have a good relationship.
On the inducement issue - you need to discuss it with your Doctor to know what they'll do. We asked him outright a few weeks ago (I'm nearly 38 weeks now) what his position was and he said "unless you absolutely can't stand being more than one week over due and want to induce or unless there is some risk to the baby, I won't do it" He suggested that after 41 weeks I would just be monitored even more closely.

So, up to you. Really depends on what is most important to you.
 
I concur with Kmalia. Dr Ho came highly recommended to us by several of my friends. We were warned before hand that he is not the warmest of doctors, but they go to him because he is very competent. He just delivered my baby girl a month ago and I will definitely go to him again for my next baby. At our first visit, my husband went away feeling rather disgruntled. He felt that Dr Ho was not friendly, was quick in his examination, and did not give us a lot of information/advice etc. However, over the course of the pregnancy, he changed his mind completely as Dr Ho has always come through for us when we need him. I had 2 occasions of unknown pain, and he called me within a minute of my page, and both times were at some ungodly hours. He called me again the next day to follow up. During our delivery, he was very good too. He visited me early in the morning, during his lunch time and came in late at night for the delivery. Over time, we realise that while he is not the warmest of doctors, he is extremely competent which to us is more important than having a friendly doctor who is indecisive when it comes to the crunch. Of course having both warmth and experience would be the most ideal :) And we also found that we actually like being very efficient (ie quick) in our prenatal checks. If everything is fine with the pregnancy, you will find that Dr Ho will be quite fast in his examination, BUT if there is suspicion of any problem, he gets very detailed.

My humble opinion :)
 
Oh Geomum, don't worry about inducement and natural delivery with Dr Ho. He did not give me any pressure at all on these matters. I opted for the former as I wasn't dilating well, the inducement was supposed to be done at 12pm as he initially suggested, but he actually observed me a little longer and I had it done at 4pm instead. Natural delivery for me. There was no need for C Section, Dr Ho didn't suggest it as well (if there is concern that he would do so to suit his time table).
 
Obiwan said:
If everything is fine with the pregnancy, you will find that Dr Ho will be quite fast in his examination, BUT if there is suspicion of any problem, he gets very detailed.
Click to expand...

I agree with Obiwan. I had a great pregnancy, thanks to Dr. Philip Ho. There were complications and if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't want anyone else but him.

During checkups, he may be abrupt and all (this actually means good news to mother and baby) but when it really matters, his bedside manners and professionalism were impeccable. My husband, a professional himself, explained that Dr. Ho operates on a need-to-know basis. This may not be what everyone wants but for us, it's what we paid him for. We'd worry when he tells us to worry. Also, after having him for my OBGYN, I'm never going to anyone else for the dreaded pap smear and other routine gynae visits.:wink:

I can't think highly enough of him but again, it's personal. It's important to have someone you feel comfortable with.

Good luck.
 
I totally agree with Obiwan. I was with Dr Ho and my husband and I totally respect him for his professionalism and 'know-how'. Also agree that he's not the most chatty of Drs but who needs chattiness and small talk in the office? He's actually quite OK with answering any naive questions from a first-time mum and his nurse is excellent with answering any questions so there's no need to wait for him to get back to you. He also doesn't believe in C-sections, like some other doctors out there. In fact, he said I shouldn't have probs with a natural delivery. And the other thing that impressed me was that he arrived in 15mins for my delivery (my labour happened all too quickly). Geomum, you might have caught him on a bad day but who doesn't have bad days.
 
geomum,
Also - I had a natural and vaginal delivery (did break down and have a bit of Entonox gas at the end). I was five days overdue, and was prepared to go longer - I did not want to be induced. I used Hypnobirthing to deal with pain management, and when I discussed this with Dr. Ho he was neither overly supportive or overly negative.

Dr. Ho did suggest that I arrive at the hospital earlier than I did (when contractions were 6-7 minutes apart) but I labored at home much longer (30 seconds long 4 minutes apart). But I still felt I was at the hospital a long time, so I am glad I did not go up when he suggested!

I do think that Dr. Ho definitely errs on the side of caution and as with other posters, I agree that unless he is extremely concerned, he'll say very little.
 
Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences they were certainly helpful in restoring some faith back in Dr Ho. I was just a bit alarmed by his abruptness and lack of empathy on certain occassions.
I dont understand why his nurse schedules appointments so close together, perhaps she receives such instructions from the doctor himself. Like I mentioned in half an hour there were approx ten patients in the waiting room. I shall see how it goes for my next appointments and perhaps might go to Dr Lam for 20 week scan like SB2 suggested :)
 
Geomum - I have sent you a PM.

Also, on changing doctors and keeping your booking, I would ring Matilda direct as I am sure that I read somewhere that you can change doctors and keep your existing booking but that there may be a small administration fee which Matilda charges (the reason I remember is I thought it was outrageous to charge a fee to change the name on your booking from one doctor to another!!). I'd give them a call to discuss direct.

You need to be happy that on the day, your doctor will be on your side and you are comfortable with them. It is definately not too late to change. Do bear in mind though that all the "good" obs in HK will be busy and you could get multiple deliveries on the same day with any of them.

Good luck

SB2
 
My friend recommended Dr. Ho to me. Both of us are very happy with him. I have visited other doctors before for pap smear tests and check ups and still find Dr. Ho is the best.

I am sure everyone has bad days and most of the doctors have long waiting time and emergency deliveries sometimes.
 
For the benefit for others would like to share that I called up Matilda just now and was told that I get to keep my current booking even if I change doctors. There isn't any fee I need to pay, all I need to do is tell them about the details of the new doctor.
 
Impatience is definitely one of my worst vices :) But I have never had problem waiting for Dr Ho, and I typically have to wait different length of time at each visit. I figure that he is late as some other mums need him at the hospital for delivery/check ups and I will one day be one of the mums, and I hope he will put me as a priority vis-a-vis his clinic patients. As a comparison, I met with a very renowned pediatrician who told me she cannot standby for me during my delivery cos she has clinic duties in Central (I changed ped immediately!).
 
geomum, i think i was probably in the waiting room with you yesterday, haha! my appmt was for 1030am, but due to the long wait, didn't get in til well past 11am. i HATE waiting but i do know (having been the anxious patient before with a laundry list of questions) that dr ho is extremely patient when it comes to answering any and all questions you may have. he is a man of few words, quiet by nature (most likely in and out of his doctors' garb), however, if you have questions or if there is a need, he will spend as much time with you as necessary. at first, i too was a bit put off by what i thought to be standoffishness (having come from a much much chattier and warmer dr. dawkins for my first pregnancy) but gradually my husband and i grew to realize that this is just his nature - quiet, reserved but methodical, careful, competent.

the exchange you detailed in your first post made me laugh (sorry!) simply because it really reminded me of the exchange i shared with him yesterday. i am 31 weeks pregnant and i often have had to ask him to do the scan when he wasn't planning on doing it. as one of the other posters mentioned, in the US/North American system where i am from, scans are also not frequently done unless at critical points during your pregnancy. to dr ho's credit, he has always acquiesed when asked to do the scan. when i was 17 weeks pregnant, i had the exact same exchange with him that you did. honestly, pretty much word for word.

i always tend to extend my visits a bit longer than i think he deems necessary because i tend to have lots of questions, but he has never given me the impression that he is not patient with me or wants me to leave. curt and succinct YES but impatient definitely not.

this is my experience.
 
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