Can't get confirmed hospital booking

Geiboyi - sorry I have to disagree with you re public policy. Just my opinion, but I think that all HKers who can afford it should be encouraged to use private hospitals, leaving public hospitals to those who cannot afford to pay for their medical care. I don't think free public health care is the right of every HK resident, not that you are saying that.

By implementing a policy that effectively encourages non-HK residents to use private hospitals, you turn more HKers towards public hospitals. Aussiegal's example makes this very clear.

I think the system could be mostly fixed by private hospitals only allowing HK resident bookings up until, say, 5 months beforehand. That means that HK residents have 4 months to make a private hospital booking. It still leaves non-HK residents with plenty of time afterwards, if there are places available.

That wouldn't help Aussiegal's case, as she came to HK when she was 6 months pregnant. However, I think her case is quite unusual.
 
Much as it is in my interests to 'guarantee' HK residents (or expats) rooms in private hospitals, I think the public hospital charging system makes sense. Let's face it; there are very few of us compared to the numbers of potential Mainlanders who could put pressure on the public system. At least most of us have the choice (if we manage to book in early enough). It would be catastrophic for lower income HKers if their public places were all taken by Mainland mothers.
 
isn't the point of the policy to protect ALL LOCAL mothers giving birth? regardless of if you're using public or private system? why is it that only mothers who are using the public system are protected? whereas people who can afford to pay are not(mind you, those people are pay for BOTH the public system for other people's use via their tax money, and their own use of the private system).

We can't complain if choose to use the private system on our own accord, but it doesn't seem fair that people choosing to use the private system does not get at least the same level of protection. The problem is not with which type of hospital you choose, it's the fact that the policy DID NOT alleviate the problem, it just pushes the problem to a different group of people, less outspoken, so the government does not have to deal with it further.
 
Hi all,

I am due in Dec and i was visiting St Theresa's hospital last sat.
Apparently, its a new block so there are many many beds and when i toured the floor of the maternity ward, its not even half filled!

so that might bea last option, but i understand its more inconvenient for those staying at HK island side.

I probably might choose st theresa's.
Anyone has good experience there before?

thanks!
 
I think you will find that the problem is mainly with Matilda.
It is the most popular hospital, and in a year when LOCALS are in a baby boom, there is always going to be a fight for who gets the spaces.
At the end of the day, if everyone wants to give birth at one or two hospitals, at the sametime, someone has to miss out.

It would be interesting to find out how many locals compared to mainlanders are taking the beds.
 
Thanks Rani. Yes, everything seems to be going fine at the moment (fingers crossed it stays that way!).

For the benefit of those who are concerned about hospitals and being full....I ended up having my babies at the HK Adventist. Basically, I had borderline pre-eclampsia and needed to go into hospital for 24 hours of monitoring (was 34+4 weeks at this stage). When my Doc rang the Matilda they said I could go in for the monitoring, but wouldn't be allowed to stay if I had to have the babies. The Adventist, were much much nicer about the whole thing, and said that as long as my name was 'in the system already' ie, on the waiting list, then it would be fine if I needed to have the babies there.

I eventually had the girls a week later (at 35+5), and had decided that I didn't want to go to the Matilda, but preferred the attitude of the Adventist. They were all great there and looked after me and the girls really well. Plus, I was told by an independant person who works alot at the Matilda that IF the babies need some aftercare (low level, not ICU, like oxygen etc) that the Adventist were better equipped.

Would advise anyone having concerns over the Matilda to try the Adventist, OK, you don't get free toiletries, but who cares! The rooms are bigger too.

K
 
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