Posted by
jd101
15 yrs ago
Hello
My wife, 2 year old daughter and I have been thinking of making the move from Australia to Hong Kong for a while now, we are however now unsure. My wife is 12 weeks pregnant and we wanted any advice with regards to being pregnant in HK. What options and costs are they with regards to private / public hospitals? What is the service like comparable with the UK and Australia? Does anyone think it's not a good idea to move to HK whilst pregnant and should we just stay in Australia until he/she has arrived?
Thanks in advance.
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Health care in HK is on par with anything you will find in other modern countries like the US and Australia. You should have no concerns at all on that front. Highly trained professionals and modern hospitals.
The one big question is: Will you be getting health insurance paid by the employer so that you can get private care. Public care is excellent from the actual medical perspective but the amenities aren't that good. Your wife will share a room after delivery for example. If you have private health care everything is more cushy and easier. Some of the private hospitals are really something else. The Matilda for example is renowned for maternity care.
I would say that if you have health insurance that allows private care, don't hesitate to move now. If you don't, then have a think about what your options are compared to Australia. I don't know the health care system there at all.
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I think you should VERY carefully consider the effects of the HK environment on your 2 year old AND you unborn child...my wife and I are experiencing first hand the early onset of respiratory problems in our HK-born 3 year old daughter (as an aside, pediatric respiratory specialist recommendations are welcome!!).
As for your query, the public system is very inexpensive if you are resident here. I thought they missed a few zeroes on the bill when, after a 4 day stay (complications) we paid HK$350!. Then another ~ HK$500 for our daughter for a 2nd week in Special Care ward. The care my wife received (she is local) was good (no pampering of course, in a ward room with 5 other women) but language barriers could be an issue for you if you don't speak Cantonese. Doctors and head nurses will speak English, but likely not ward staff. There are restricted visiting hours as well, for husband. It was very comparable to the service I've seen in Canada (can't advise on AUS/UK tho). Semi Private rooms are also available at a charge in public hosp.
Fees are here:
http://www.ha.org.hk/visitor/ha_visitor_index.asp?Parent_ID=10044&Content_ID=10045&Ver=HTML
Look at "In-patient (convalescent, rehabilitation, infirmary & psychiatric beds)" for normal delivery
Private is a whole other world. How much pampering you want depends on the depth of your wallet/level of your insurance. Five star hotel service is readily available at the elite private hospitals. Be aware that often, complicated pregnancies are not handled there, but sent to the public hospitals. But if you're expecting smooth sailing, and can afford it, it's probably a nicer experience.
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also, if you want to get into matilda, you need to make a reservation asap. usually 12 weeks is already stretching it to get a bed/slot
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I moved to HK from the US at 14 weeks and was waitlisted. just got a confirmed slot at the matilda at 21 wks but i heard you may not know until 36 wks. There are alternatives, like the Adventist and other private hospitals, but if your insurance doesn't cover (i've done the research and most INt'l plans dont cover maternity for the 1st 12 months so make sure your employer will give you this) you may want to consider staying in AU for less headaches or be ready to foot the bill. I may need to foot a HKD 40-50K bill on my own, but for the peace of mind it might be worth it. I heard gov't hospital visits are based on whoever the OB is at that time and there may be issues if you dont have a local with you to speak the language. But agree that for complications you may be sent to public hospitals too.
As for the pollution, it was a bit of a change as I am asthmatic and you can taste it when you walk in the streets. There are air purifiers though which cost about USD 1K so there are solutions. If you are coming from a very green part of AU you will def feel the diff. Maybe cap your stay in HK to 2-3 yrs bec of the little ones and potential respiratory issues. The school situation here is also a mess, i heard as soon as I have a birth certificate to apply to the Int'l schools for the 3 yr waiting pd. THere is a price for everything though, so if you're moving to HK make sure you are happy with your $ package. There is also a lot of cheap dometic help to do childcare and the chores.
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"There are air purifiers though which cost about USD 1K so there are solution"
The IQ Air is a fine device but to be fair there are also purifiers that cost less than half that. They may not clean to operating theater levels but they do a decent job.
"The school situation here is also a mess, i heard as soon as I have a birth certificate to apply to the Int'l schools for the 3 yr waiting pd"
Some schools accept applications at birth and use a waitlist while others, like the ESF schools, take all applications at the same time. Others have a waitlist but the child must pass an assessment. It is a mixed bag really so worth doing your research. Very few kids end up without a slot for year one, though parents may not get their top pick. Certainly if your daughter is two apply now to 3-4 schools that you are interested in. Shouldn't be a problem getting a slot in that timeframe. Note that you should do this even if you have a 2-3 year time limited assignment. These things have a tendency to be extended...
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jd101
15 yrs ago
Thanks, a lot to think about. One question, is the pollution really that bad? I knew it was bad for most of the year but does everyone suffer from respiratory problems after a few years being there or are children just more susceptable? Thanks again
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Your main concern should be housing costs and schooling( 4.5-7.5k HKD per month for morning classes) as well as health issues, Rentals are sky high at the moment and the living space would be much smaller than in oz. My boys both got very sick they were 1 and 2 at the time, they never really got any breathing problems but suffered with gastro (being hospilazied), Hand foot and mouth which was bad! in the 8 months we stayed they were well for about 3 weeks, they always had running noses coughs etc, we moved back to oz and i think they have been mildly sick for about a week in the last 2 yrs. saying that we are moving back to hk with the kids next month, we have spent 10 yrs in hk and are from the sunshine coast queensland but currently living in Tasmania so we will really notice the difference in air quality, It really depends on your package if housing, medical and schooling are covered. usually you need private cover with a pregnancy coverage for at least a year before getting pregnant so not sure how it would work. but the adventist hospital is great. if there are any other questions you have i would be happy to answer them for you.
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jd101
15 yrs ago
Thanks kyander. We've been preparing ourselves for the expensive housing, volume of people and crowded space, as I said before we knew of the pollution but didn't realize it was that bad. We are now also considering it carefully as my wife would be expecting in the hottest month of the year, September, we have been in north QLD for 7 years now, so think we should be able to handle it but we've also heard the heat and humidity in HK is a lot worse than here? We've also have never actually been but we have a week booked in April to see if we actually want to make the move, I guess things might seem a bit clearer then. Hope so!
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"Thanks, a lot to think about. One question, is the pollution really that bad? I knew it was bad for most of the year but does everyone suffer from respiratory problems after a few years being there or are children just more susceptable?"
That's a very difficult question. Yes, the pollution is high compared to, say, Sydney. However compared to Shanghai or Beijing it isn't. No doubt the air is dirty. Long term health effects are really hard to predict.
Lots of people will say "my kids were really sick" and so forth. But at the same time you'll find other families where everyone is fine. For example my kids get colds and so forth but so do kids anywhere in the world. Any child will contract around 12 infections a year and some kids become sick more than others. Not saying the dirty air has no effect, just that it affects some more than others.
"we've also heard the heat and humidity in HK is a lot worse than here?"
Yes it is a lot worse. The heat/humidity combo here in the summer months is really intense. Then again, it's just something you get used to after a while. It's not like health deteriorates because it is so warm. Air conditioning is a big help of course.
It's one of those pros and cons things as usual. We really like living here. Good schools, very safe, lots of things to do, the beach 5 minutes away, great neighbours, lots of good restaurants, Ocean Park and Disneyland close by. Downsides: pollution, high housing costs. For now the equation comes out positive, at least for us.
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JD,
It sounds as though you are going to come to HK, either before or after your wife gives birth. Do you have a definite job offer? Will the offer wait while you decide? Hong Kong is a pretty attractive posting, if the terms are right - if the terms are not right, I would say stay in North Queensland. Not much difference in the weather (except that Hong Kong does have a winter).
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jd101
15 yrs ago
woods99
Don't have a job offer yet, when we come over in April I will be meeting a few people and hopefully something will happen then. I guess if it doesn't then that will decide for me, I just didn't want to be in a position of being offered something but then not being sure what to do. The other consideration is that I know I would be on a lower package at first as I don't have HK experience (in the construction industry QS), I guess I would just have to run the numbers and see what happens. Just trying to get as much information as possible before we actually get there.
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JD,
Living and working in a place like Hong Kong for a few years can be an amazingly enriching experience. It can put a lot of stress on partners, depending on the terms of employment, meaning what sort of housing you get, what sort of school/domestic help etc you can afford, how resilient and adaptable you both are - growth opportunities abound, but that is because there are a lot of challenges.
My experience is that most expats can earn more and some will spend more, than in their home country. I managed to earn more, and learn more, and control my spending, so the net benefit was pretty amazing.
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madtown, I know that. I'm just saying that the pollution affects people differently. And no, I don't think that HKs air being better than Beijing is anything to brag about. All I said was that the air is better than Beijing.
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ICC has an observation deck: http://www.sky100.com.hk/ . Tickets go on sale 17 March. There are also two observation lifts in Hopewell Center that give a great view.
madtown, I agree the air quality is not good. I simply am not as bothered by that fact as you are. That might not be very clever, and I might change my mind at some stage, but that's the way it is right now.
"However, I don't understand how you can honestly say stuff like....."you will find some families aren't effected by the air"? "
I didn't say that, at least not in this thread. I said some are more affected than others.
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Well, it could also be plain old clouds or rain obstructing the view. ;)
As for the pollution discussion, I'm done. I've said my piece.
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