Cost of doctor fees - ward vs private room at private hospital

M

Mingaling

Registered User
My husband and I are leaning towards a private room delivery.

My doctor wants to charge (starting at) $25,000 for ward room delivery (3-7 people in a room) and (starting at) $50,000 for private room delivery. Does anyone know why there is such a difference in price? He is still delivering a baby, why does it matter if its a ward room vs a private?
 
Unfortunately, this is the HK way. I got a quote for $12K for a ward, and we opted for private room. Dr charged me $50K and the anesthesiologist fee was $16K (called him on a Sunday and didn't include drugs).
 
Thanks ngnhk and rani for the replies.

That's what up my husband thought...a little frustrating/unfortunate since we want the birth of our child to be in a more comfortable setting. We saw the price of the epidural, should we decide to use it, jumps from $8000 (ward room) to $16000 (private) as well. A little ridiculous since its the same drug...
 
ngnhk - my doctor is affiliated with HK Sanatorium, HK Adventist Hospital and Matilda International Hospital. Since I know nothing about them, my husband and I may have to pay them a visit to make a decision. My doctor said to me during my last visit that there is no rush to choose a hospital yet (I am 12 weeks pregnant).
 
my doctor is charging 8K (ward room) vs 16K (private room) for anesthesia/epidural.

He said when I decide which hospital and what type of room, he will take care of everything.
 
It's crazy how everything adds up. And there are surcharges for weekend/public holiday births!

Mingaling, just FYI Matilda was very backed up when i contacted them earlier this year to schedule a visit... the next availability was ~5 weeks out. We call up Sanatorium and Adventist and were able to visit the next day.
 
This also happened to me, I called and left a message to arrange a tour at Matilda, never received a returned phone call. So I emailed through and they got back to me with the first available time which is the next 5-6 weeks. There's no way I could of waited that long for just a tour as I needed to decide on a hospital, waiting 5-6 weeks would delay everything and I probably wouldn't get a bed within my preference. HK Sanatorium was very easy, as long as the rooms are free they always welcome you to see the rooms for a quick tour.
 
What is the point of a "tour"??? You are going to stay there for 2-4 days only!
I understand going to a school tour for your young ones, but for a "room tour"??? Never heard of something like this outside of Hong Kong.
 
@ Pumi26 - a private room at a private hospital charges about $50000+ for a few days, it would be nice to see the room first before my husband and I make a final decision. Yes, it is only a few days, but its also one of the most important days of my life (you don't give birth everyday) so we would like to try to make the experience a nice/comfortable one.
 
Yep, and if you can't decide which hospital then a tour would definitely help. You get to see the facilities they provide, how they operate and meet the team/midwives.
 
I really struggle to see why people pay so much for Matilda when if there are any complications or issues at birth they have to move you to Queen Mary for specialist treatment anyway.
 
If insurance paying absolutely 100% I would go to Matilda but if not, why pay such a huge amount if risk of being transfered to QMH anyway is my thinking. My friend had 2 children in Matilda and although it was 5* treatment they did not have insurance so paid for the whole thing - I personally would rather spend that kind of money on the baby afterwards than the 2 - 4 days of hosp stay.
 
Ngnhk - I like your response.

We are all pregnant and in very good places right now so what's with the negativity and judgments?
 
I don't really a have a deal - I just think it is shame that the expat scene here makes people feel they need to go private or that the public system is not good enough. This is something several of my friends have commented on (friends who have given birth here and also those expecting) and the general consensus has been that a lot of worry and confusion could have been saved if they just viewed the public system like being pregnant back in the UK and if people want to go private there is that option - rather than it feeling like an expectancy to go private.
 
Being pregnant in HK is a new experience for many of us and thankfully for boards like this, I've been able to meet some great people willing to share their experiences to make life easier.

The reality is... there are distinct differences on how things work in the public and private systems here compared to other countries. Many people find that it's helpful to get as much information as possible (e.g. from tours which are offered in both the private and public hospitals) to be able to make an informed decision.

Do realize that each family can have specific circumstances where one system would work out better than the other - as to what those specific circumstances are, it's really nobody else's business... but to explore one possible example, the public system does not allow for cord blood collection. For those parents that choose to do this for their own personal reasons, private delivery is the only option.

The public system can be an excellent choice - however I have known some mums who had to forfeit this option because they were working and their schedules were not flexible enough to accommodate 3 hour appointments (during dates and times you often can not get to choose) + commute time to QM/TS. For some people, this is just not feasible... no matter how much they want to go with public.

I don't really see the expat community here or elsewhere advocating private delivery as the better and only way to go. Our friends and family (a mix of locals and expats) have done both and shared care.
 
I gave birth in St. Paul's hospital. Didn't think I needed a private room, but when I checked in they said a private room was available and I decided to go for it on an impulse. I thought it was really worth it... being able to rest a lot better, see baby whenever I wanted, and have my husband around at night. Sure, it was only for a few days and the bill did give me a minor heart attack (insurance ended up covering more of the cost than I expected), but all in all, I'm glad I went for it. Giving birth for the first time is a very special time, I think it's worth splurging a little for the experience.

Also, Sanatorium's semi-private room seems to be a good deal. At least the semi-private room my friend had was almost completely private (with a couch for husband to sleep on too), except having to share the bathroom with one other mom.
 
Definitely having a tour, or giving yourself one whether you're going private or public is recommended by our friend who's a psychiatrist, he says by going in a few times, getting comfortable and familiar with your settings helps to put your mind at ease for your big day :-) the anxiety of being in an unfamiliar setting will not help u or bb to relax which makes sense!
 
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