Advise Needed - Queen Mary vs. Maltida with No Insurance
- Thread starter jwc209
- Start date
hi we were in the same case, debating whether to pay for matilda from our pocket or go with QMH... and ended up in between, going private at QMH...
our first choice was Matilda, as my private obgyn whom I am very comfortable with delivers there and I have heard many good experience from our friends. but as my company?s insurance over covers a very minimal amount, we would have been paying out of our pocket. being first time parents, we would want the best experience and hubby being around to support is one of the top priority. our obgyn who we trust a lot took time to went through the pros and cons to go private or public with me & hubby from the first few visits and helped us to make a reasonable decision to use our savings towards other areas instead of over a few nights at a nice hospital. we switched after the 20-week structural scan. though reluctant to say goodbye to my obgyn, she cannot take me as private patient unless i deliver with her.
like previous posters mentioned QMH is the best place if there are any medical emergency or special needs during your pregnancy or the birth. we ended at the private clinic side @QMH as i didn?t wanna go through the long waits and seeing a different trainee each prenatal check (which I did initially), I ended up seeing the same doctor each time whom was very reassuring and always explained everything clearly to us in English, took time to went through our birth plan with us etc. our baby was growing at a very slow rate towards mid third trimester so it was good to be with QMH who are experienced in handling various case, so to cut a long story short I was induced with natural birth and the whole experience was great and we were thankful to have the support. so while it was not the $200 paid by octopus check out, we were able to get private care with a fraction of the price from Matilda.
Regarding communication and support at QMH, we had no problem communicating in English. though I was originally born in hong kong , i am not fluent in speaking while hubby's Chinese is nearly non-existent. all prenatal checks, pre/post delivery stay and the delivery process was conducted in English per our request. we also passed them a copy of our birth plan (using the template from family zone where we did our prenatal sessions) and the midwives followed it to a tee, keep checking if I am ok and if I needed my epidural (I wrote that I will only want one if absolutely necessary), guide my hubby to massage my lower back (my preferred way for pain relief per birth plan) etc., hubby was by my side from the moment we checked in until we check out from the hospital. being a room in guests he was also offered meals (while not the full room service menu like Matilda there was choice of chinese or western style with choice of main each meal which i'll say it?s pretty decent)? baby was also with us at all times apart from the few moments that he was being bathed or tests being done... the lactation consultation came by to support few times per day and on call when requested, with nurses come in now and then to offer help in many ways...
must say it was a good experience for both hubby & I, and we will do the same route if we are having another kid in hong kong one day
our first choice was Matilda, as my private obgyn whom I am very comfortable with delivers there and I have heard many good experience from our friends. but as my company?s insurance over covers a very minimal amount, we would have been paying out of our pocket. being first time parents, we would want the best experience and hubby being around to support is one of the top priority. our obgyn who we trust a lot took time to went through the pros and cons to go private or public with me & hubby from the first few visits and helped us to make a reasonable decision to use our savings towards other areas instead of over a few nights at a nice hospital. we switched after the 20-week structural scan. though reluctant to say goodbye to my obgyn, she cannot take me as private patient unless i deliver with her.
like previous posters mentioned QMH is the best place if there are any medical emergency or special needs during your pregnancy or the birth. we ended at the private clinic side @QMH as i didn?t wanna go through the long waits and seeing a different trainee each prenatal check (which I did initially), I ended up seeing the same doctor each time whom was very reassuring and always explained everything clearly to us in English, took time to went through our birth plan with us etc. our baby was growing at a very slow rate towards mid third trimester so it was good to be with QMH who are experienced in handling various case, so to cut a long story short I was induced with natural birth and the whole experience was great and we were thankful to have the support. so while it was not the $200 paid by octopus check out, we were able to get private care with a fraction of the price from Matilda.
Regarding communication and support at QMH, we had no problem communicating in English. though I was originally born in hong kong , i am not fluent in speaking while hubby's Chinese is nearly non-existent. all prenatal checks, pre/post delivery stay and the delivery process was conducted in English per our request. we also passed them a copy of our birth plan (using the template from family zone where we did our prenatal sessions) and the midwives followed it to a tee, keep checking if I am ok and if I needed my epidural (I wrote that I will only want one if absolutely necessary), guide my hubby to massage my lower back (my preferred way for pain relief per birth plan) etc., hubby was by my side from the moment we checked in until we check out from the hospital. being a room in guests he was also offered meals (while not the full room service menu like Matilda there was choice of chinese or western style with choice of main each meal which i'll say it?s pretty decent)? baby was also with us at all times apart from the few moments that he was being bathed or tests being done... the lactation consultation came by to support few times per day and on call when requested, with nurses come in now and then to offer help in many ways...
must say it was a good experience for both hubby & I, and we will do the same route if we are having another kid in hong kong one day
charade, I've replied by PM
carang - yes the charges of private patient is same for all public hospitals and is clearly listed on the HA website...
also didn't mention above the downside is it's pay as you go so there is no package rate and all price is listed as a "range" so you really need to check with the private clinic what type of price to expect for budget purpose. my hubby is the number guy so i'm glad to have him to figure these out.
carang - yes the charges of private patient is same for all public hospitals and is clearly listed on the HA website...
also didn't mention above the downside is it's pay as you go so there is no package rate and all price is listed as a "range" so you really need to check with the private clinic what type of price to expect for budget purpose. my hubby is the number guy so i'm glad to have him to figure these out.
TheQuasimother
Registered User
Just my two cents. Both my children were delivered privately and under no circumstance would I have wanted it differently. First bub was paid for by insurance in full and second bub partially paid for by insurance (at Matilda).
Both births were uncomplicated. But I found that as a new mum, there is a steep learning curve. Here is why I'd go with Matilda even if I had to fork out my own cash:
- At Matilda (and my other private hospital in Sydney), there was a lot personal attention and help at the push of a button. If i had a question, it was answered before my anxiety had a chance to kick in. The post-natal care alone was well worth the money I spent.
- You get the very much needed rest without having to worry about anyone or anything. THIS was the most important bit of my hospital stay ... I was ready to go home and deal with the unknown.
- You don't have to deal with any hassle - I know that ordering food is simple enough but I just don't want the hassle. If I needed a cup of tea, it's like a hotel, its' a button away.
- My husband and child can stay for as long as I needed them too. And, he was there through the entire birth. Everyone was happy and not stressed which is how I wanted to bring the baby into the world.
- I am NOT bounded by any restrictions, not any that I can recall.
- Before I left for the hospital, I had help, even with the car seat! Again, it's biggest selling point, the help I got from when I checked in and til I checked out. There was not a single moment that ruined my birth experience. The midwives took care of everything, reminders about meals, anything else that I might have needed and overlooked. The care, at Matilda during delivery, is top notch.
If I had to do it over, I'd do it again (and no where else except for another private hospital back home).
Both births were uncomplicated. But I found that as a new mum, there is a steep learning curve. Here is why I'd go with Matilda even if I had to fork out my own cash:
- At Matilda (and my other private hospital in Sydney), there was a lot personal attention and help at the push of a button. If i had a question, it was answered before my anxiety had a chance to kick in. The post-natal care alone was well worth the money I spent.
- You get the very much needed rest without having to worry about anyone or anything. THIS was the most important bit of my hospital stay ... I was ready to go home and deal with the unknown.
- You don't have to deal with any hassle - I know that ordering food is simple enough but I just don't want the hassle. If I needed a cup of tea, it's like a hotel, its' a button away.
- My husband and child can stay for as long as I needed them too. And, he was there through the entire birth. Everyone was happy and not stressed which is how I wanted to bring the baby into the world.
- I am NOT bounded by any restrictions, not any that I can recall.
- Before I left for the hospital, I had help, even with the car seat! Again, it's biggest selling point, the help I got from when I checked in and til I checked out. There was not a single moment that ruined my birth experience. The midwives took care of everything, reminders about meals, anything else that I might have needed and overlooked. The care, at Matilda during delivery, is top notch.
If I had to do it over, I'd do it again (and no where else except for another private hospital back home).
carang
Registered User
you're lucky you could afford to do it privately. not everyone is that lucky.
for me, having had 2 EXTREMELY complicated births, i can say that the things you speak of had absolutely no meaning to me. ALL i cared about was the fact that my kids and i were happy and healthy. one of the ways i could manage that? i didn't have to worry about what it was costing me.
i should also add that i was hospitalised 13 times over 2 pregnancies.... i can't even begin to imagine what that would have cost privately.
again, if i had full insurance coverage. sure, i would have gone to matilda. i did not have that luxury. so, i used the public hospital.
would i make the same choice again? in a heartbeat.
everyone is entitled to their own choice. that is the problem with a question such as the one the OP posted. we each have different criterea, needs and medical histories. this type of decision can ONLY be made by each individual. other's wants, needs and histories are different, so you cannot judge what choice you should make by asking what others' choices were.
ps> quasi, i readily admit that there were times when i was a little green with envy of my friends who were going to matilda, but i am still happy iwht the choices we made.
for me, having had 2 EXTREMELY complicated births, i can say that the things you speak of had absolutely no meaning to me. ALL i cared about was the fact that my kids and i were happy and healthy. one of the ways i could manage that? i didn't have to worry about what it was costing me.
i should also add that i was hospitalised 13 times over 2 pregnancies.... i can't even begin to imagine what that would have cost privately.
again, if i had full insurance coverage. sure, i would have gone to matilda. i did not have that luxury. so, i used the public hospital.
would i make the same choice again? in a heartbeat.
everyone is entitled to their own choice. that is the problem with a question such as the one the OP posted. we each have different criterea, needs and medical histories. this type of decision can ONLY be made by each individual. other's wants, needs and histories are different, so you cannot judge what choice you should make by asking what others' choices were.
ps> quasi, i readily admit that there were times when i was a little green with envy of my friends who were going to matilda, but i am still happy iwht the choices we made.
Carang - I think you made your point clear and more than once. I dont think comments "you are luck you can afford it not everyone can" bring much to the discussion The first poster asked a question and we all including you spoken our minds not much point going on in circles. I'm sorry you had tough time during your pregnancies - I suppose we are very lucky we can all fall back on public system which is great in this country especially when in trouble. However the question was about making choices on the assumption all is well. Matilda is not just a hotel it is a medical facility and yes for extreme cases the baby or the mother would get shipped out to QMH but this would happen in many other hospitals in England which are not the teaching hospitals. It is however equipped and prepared to receive babies from 36 week of pregnancy and including twins. My baby was slightly premature and I delivered in Matilda with full confidence that the doctors in charge would make the right decision. I also think that there are as many people who will vote for private system as there are for the public one.And yes it goes without saying the private health system is expensive. So this discussion could go for another two years and never conclude.
I have never come accross a person who said anything negative about their experience in Matilda.
I have never come accross a person who said anything negative about their experience in Matilda.
will attempt to shut up now.