Would I be denied medical service if not in proper catchment area?

Any a&e would take you but QM has the best neonatal unit in hk, that's why she recommended it. Doctors don't have links with public hospitals.
 
you can call to verify with Queen Mary if they are in your catchment area. It also makes life a lot easier if you have had a checkup with the public hospital of your choice first before delivery - this way they will have all your records on file already - should you need to deliver there.

private drs. may have worked / trained at a HK public hospital before but if they are currently in a private practice, they can no longer deliver at public facilities. Agree with Aquarian that QM as the best equipment. if there are any complications with birth at a private hospital, the mom and/or baby will be sent to QM.
 
in any case, i was making a general statement that it's easier to have your records already with a public hospital if you think you may have a possibility of delivering there... be it QM, KW, QE, etc.
 
re: using the temporary address... i'm not sure if it is the norm... but I have met other mums to be that reside in the kowloon side (even lantau) who take their appts @ QM, I'm guessing they found a work around by using a relatives address or something.
 
If you turn up at a&e with pregnancy complications you get dealt with VERY quickly. But you're right you can't go straight to L&D.
 
You can go to any A&E within Hong Kong. If you are already having your appointments in any of the public hospitals, they will be able to transfer your records from one hospital to another. But if you call for an ambulance, they will just send you to the nearest available hospital. So u don't need to worry which hospital is nearer to your home and whether or not u will be refused admission at A&E. hope this helps.
 
In case of an emergency, I would go straight to Queen Elizabeth if its closer to you.
 
Personally, if it was really a true emergency, you should ALWAYS go to the closest hospital regardless of your catchment area. They cannot and will not turn you away.

That said, if you have something that could cause premature delivery, but if you can spare the extra 15 min or 30 min to get to a "better" hospital, I would do that. And QMH is the best...

Ultimately though, if you do go to say QEH, they do have a NICU there and can care for premature babies. If there are complications that mean the baby would be better off at QMH, they will transfer the baby there.
 
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