Where to have regular check-up and delivery? Shen Zhen? HongKong?

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1st time Mummy

New member
Hi there. I am 13 weeks pregnant, and this is our first baby..I am from Malaysia and going to move to ShenZhen in January for approximately 2 years stay..I am not familiar with HongKong neither ShenZhen..and now despite the headache about househunting (in SheKou, SZ) anxiety about the new unknown surrounding..what makes me worried the most is: where to find a good and relaible hospital to have the regular check-up and also delivery?? How does the medical system work in HK or SZ? Does it work in a such a way that we choose the doctor by selecting the hospital? Hope that anyone here could help or advise??
 
1st time mummy

Congrats! I just had my first 3 months ago.

I have not lived in China, but have seen enough from evening news and heard enough from friends who work there. My one piece of advice is -- unless you can find an Ob and hospital in SZ that you feel absolutely comfortable with, do your check ups and have your baby delivered in HK.

Also, when you evaluate an Ob / hospital, don't just rely on comments from locals as they might have different standards. Check with expats who delivered in China.

Don't mean to scare you but I think you should make an informed decision. In China, there aren't as many regulations as in HK or other developed countries therefore standards of hospital and medical practitioners may vary.

Here are some of the problems a lot of HKers worry about:

- Ob insisting you have a huge baby (when your baby is a regular size), so as to con you into paying a higher fee for having a c-section

- Give you IV for no reason. It is a general practice in China to give patients IV for almost any little thing (at a charge of course). The general population somehow believe you would heal faster

- Hospitals refuse to treat you before you show them your money

- New born babies inhaling too much oxygen leading to permanent damage

- Contaminated utensils

Not sure about China system. In HK, if you decide to use public facilities (hospital), you don't get to choose your Ob. In fact, you would be seen by different Ob each visit (sometimes interns) and you don't get to have ultrasounds. As a foreigner, you would need to pay a fee for using the service too. If you go for private facilities, your Ob will give you a list of hospitals to choose from. You will get ultrasound scan in each visit and you get to keep the photo for keepsake. The delivery fee depends on the Ob, hospital and room type, around $15,000 -30,000 (natural birth) in additional to fees you pay at each visit ($400 - $1200). Some Ob offers package deals too. If you fancy a specific hospital, you can also use their Ob.

If you decide to have your baby in HK, that would mean you need to cross border every month for check ups, and weekly towards 8th and 9th month. It is a hassle for sure but the upside is you have plenty qualified Obs to choose from and HK is one of the cities with LOWEST INFANT DEATH rate. The downside is traveling time, it's more difficult when you have a huge bump, and there's also fees to consider. Babies born in HK will be given HK citizenship if that matters to you at all.

Best of luck with the househunting and hope you find a reliable Ob soon.

P.S. I am definitely biased and skeptical about China's healthcare system.
 
That is why some expatriate mums stay in service apartments during the last 2 months of their pregnancy. At least they are near the hospital and their OB in Hong Kong.
 
With regard to one of the above points, I believe that ethnically Chinese babies get HK right of abode, but that's all. My son only gets it as long as I remain a permanent resident. If I go away for 3 years (or whatever) then he loses the right to live/study here. If you are of Chinese descent then this might be a bonus, but if not it makes little difference.
 
ELT, Anita C and geiboyi,
thanks so much for your spontanoues respond and sharing with me your useful experience. Really appreciate your help.

ELT, to be honest, I don't feel comfortable and confident with the China's health care too.. and may be I am mentally poisoned by those TV drama, or may be it is truly happening thing in China..I am afraid that they will switch my baby especially if I give birth to a boy! Besides, I am not so sure about the practicality of the idea to go back to Malaysia for delivery..I heard that if a pregnant woman reaches certain month of her pregnancy, she will be estopped from taking flight... how true is it?? Anyone has any idea??

Which hospital would you recommend for regular check-up and delivery of baby in HK? How much is the difference for the medical fees between government hospital and private's? I think I prefer to go for private hospital.. is the quality of health care and treatment, service provided by the government hospital is as good as those in private's? Cos in Malaysia, there is a great difference.. Where did you have your baby delivery?? Any recommendations?? I read about Dr. Dawkins and Dr, Ghosh..are they very good??
Oh please.. I cannot afford a single slight chances that my baby will be damaged in anyway that could be during the delivery process..


I am not so sure about the nationality of the baby if I deliver it in HK..I have a cousin, who delivered her baby in France, both husband and wife are Malaysian chinese, the baby is not given the France nationality and they register the birth of their baby with the embassy of Malaysia in France and thereafter the baby has the Malaysian citizenship. So, ELT, do you mean that my baby will be given HK citizenship automatically if she/he is born in HK? or will he/she be given an option to choose whether to opt for Malaysian or HK citizenship when he/she reaches the age of maturity? My husband and I are Malaysian Chinese.

Before I end, huhhhh~ really not easy to an expatriate mummy-to-be...SO STRESSED!!
 
Hi 1st time mummy

Glad that you find the info helpful.

I had my regular check ups at an OB in Causeway Bay (Dr Anne Fang), and the cost was around $1000 each visit. She's quite well-known and I like her a lot as she was very thorough and patient with me (as a first time mom like you, I had a lot of concerns and she always took the time to explain things which I find very important). Originally I planned to deliver my baby at St Paul's Hospital in Causeway Bay however, I decided to use public facilities in order to save money. (I had a c-section... if I went to private hospital, I would have paid $40,000 including board and Dr Fang's fees).

Public hospitals are very different from private ones. Public ones offer basic service so the check ups are really quick (5 min), no ultrasound and the OB would not have time to answer many questions. Since you are a foreigner, when you use public hospital to deliver, you would have to pay a fee more or less same (maybe a little less) than going to private ones so I would recommend you to use private facilities.

What you would pay for the delivery depends a lot on your OB. The hospital charges around $12,000 for natural delivery and a few thousand more for cesarians. However, your OB's fee would vary by the ward you use. Basically the better the ward (e.g. private), the higher your OB's fees.

There are 4 hospitals which a lot of people use:

St Paul's - http://www.stpaul.org.hk/english/eng_index.html
Sanatorium - http://www.hksh.com/eng/index.html
Matilda - http://www.matilda.org/eng/services/maternity/package.php
HK Baptist (Kowloon) - http://www.hkbh.org.hk/en/330_obst_gynae.htm

I heard Matilda is good. But maybe it would be convenient for you to use HK Baptist which is in Kowloon side, a shorter distance from Shenzhen as compared to the other 3 hospitals. If you do not have any OB in mind, perhaps you can check with the hospitals if they have any recommendation. As private hospitals often provide out-patient service, a lot of them have OB stationing in the premises.

Re nationality, geiboyi pointed out that HK nationality is only granted to chinese decendents. I'm not sure how it works but I'm pretty sure the newborn has every right to keep Malaysian nationality.

I totally feel for you. When I was pregnant, I was also hunting for new apartment, moved home (as stayed at parents' until new home is done), then I had to work with decorator to rennovate the place... everything just happened at the same time. If you can afford, I strongly suggest you to use facilities in HK so you have one less thing to worry. If for any reason you have to use facilities in China, it would not be the end of the world :) I'm sure if you research a little and talk to expats in Shenzhen, you'll be able to find someone reliable.

Good luck! I love malaysian food (and malaysians) so I'm happy to help out.
 
Geiboyi is right- HK nationality, i.e. the right to a passport, is only for babies of chinese descent.
My son was born in HK and has permanent residency only because I have it. I asked, when I registered him, if he would lose it as I would if away for HK for 3 years and they said yes.
Babies born in HK of non Chinese descent get no residency rights.
 
At the Matilda Hospital they have lodgings at Sharp House, http://www.matilda.org/eng/onsite/index.php, that you can use for the few weeks before the baby is born and afterwards if you need. I know that often mothers coming from China will stay in the lodgings so that they don?t have to do so much traveling towards the end and so that passports, etc. can be processed and you don?t have to stay extra days in the hospital, which is more expensive.

It is my understanding that when you register your baby in Hong Kong you are asked for your home town (heung ha) in China. If you have one then your baby will get Hong Kong nationality. I would ask about whether your baby would get Chinese nationality (and therefore Hong Kong) if you are Chinese but from Malaysia ? it may not be automatic. Getting this Chinese/Hong Kong nationality will not affect your other nationalities unless Malaysian laws don?t allow dual nationality.

Best wishes,
SARAH
 
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