Doctor's office not being able to confirm Matilda booking - please advise!!!

M

mariac

Registered User
Hi everyone,

I am 24 weeks pregnant and due on April 10. While everything is fine with my baby, thank god, I am in a bit of a fix with my hospital booking. I am currently seeing a private doctor who I went to in my 9th week. They assured me they were going to get me a place in Matilda since my doctor is a resident doctor there. A couple weeks later they informed me that Matilda had just filled up for April and that I was the first or second person on the waiting list. I asked them if I should make an alternate booking but they assured me that they had an excellent track record and that as long as I was patient for a couple months, the booking would come through.

So for the past three months I went to my doctor for regular check-ups and each time they assured me that everything would be fine, that is, until today. Now they are suddenly no longer sure of it because apparently Matilda is having some "management issues and staffing problems" so they are even beginning to turn away a few patients with prior bookings. Obviously, this reduces the chances of those on the waiting list!

I am devastated because at 24 weeks, I am probably too late to get a bed at either Adventist or Sanatorium and at any rate, I won't be able to deliver with my current doctor. I live in Kowloon, so Queen Mary is not an option for me either. I think Queen Elizabeth is an option as far as public goes but I don't think it's that good and definitely not expat-friendly.

If anyone has any advice for me, please please let me know. If you happen to know any good doctors at Adventist or Sanatorium or any other private hospital then please let me know so maybe I can try to book with them. And of course, if you had any experiences at Queen Elizabeth, please share!

Any advice is appreciated. This is so distressing and being new in HK I feel totally ill-equipped to deal with this situation. Thank you for listening.
 
Hi Mariac,

The Mathilda did have some problems (and probably still do) but just to let you know and reassure you, I was on the waiting list for the longest time since June (due to our own fault for not paying the deposit on time) and they just confirmed my booking last Friday Dec 17th. We went the next day to pay the deposit --my due date is January 6th 2011 by the way.
I still however made alternate arrangements with the Queen Mary Hospital just in case I still cannot deliver at the Mathilda as in Oct-Nov they did turn away some people with confirmed booking but so far they haven't done so lately and it looks like I'm going to deliver there.

Be patient, April is still a litlle far away, but if you want to be safe do make alternate arrangements whether private or public so you don't stress too much over it.
Good luck!
 
Dr Lam Yung Hang is good he delivers at both Adventist and HK Sanatorium. You should be able to search him easily on the web.

Good luck with everything!
 
thanks csj - that is encouraging news. my doctor still thinks there is "some" chance too but she seems less confident than before which is not reassuring for me. i actually wouldn't mind making alternate arrangements at QM but i live in kowloon so apparently i have to deliver at a public hospital in kowloon if that's the way i want to go. this is another problem it seems because my choice here in kowloon is Queen Elizabeth about which i have not heard much.

lesliefu - thanks for the doctor suggestion, i will look into it! gosh, giving birth in HK is super-stressful!
 
My good friend delivered at QE, and will have her second baby there next year as well. She was quite satisfied with her experience there. She's not an expat but lived many a year overseas.
There are also lots of other private hospitals you could try to get into, perhaps they are worth a think as well.
 
thanks Shenzhennifer, if it's not too much trouble, maybe you can ask your friend sometime what are some of the things i should look out for/keep in mind if i am to deliver at QE?

as for privates, my doctor's office is now trying for adventist, sanatorium and canossa - any other recommendations?
 
newbiekt - thanks. i'm looking into Union now. do you know anyone who has delivered there or knows any specific ob-gyns there that they liked?
 
I will check. I know a friend of a friend who lives in Shatin who delivered there 6 weeks ago and was very happy.
 
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