Posted by
LOJITT
15 yrs ago
Hi
I've just found out that I'm pregnant (first time) and I'm not sure what the drill is re doctors/ obstetricians etc in Hong Kong as haven't been here long.
I come from the UK and what you do there is go to see a GP who will confirm the pregnancy, check you out and take care of any immediate issues and they then book you to the hospital for your 12 week scan.
My main question is do I still go to see a GP for a referral or do I just go straight to the gynae/ obstetrician.
I have health insurance which covers maternity, if that makes any difference and I want to deliver at the Matilda.
Any help gratefully received.
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If you are going fully private than you should find an OB. Don't even bother with a GP.
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Congrats. I am also from the UK and had my first baby in HK last year (now pregnant with no.2!) The well obstetricians who deliver at Matilda include: Lucy Lord, Grace Cheung, Dr Ghosh, Dr Doo, Dr Philip Ho, Dr Sally Ferguson. Of the above Lucy Lord is probably the most well known amongst UK expats and is well respected. Apparently Grace Cheung has a slightly gentler manner. You need to make an appointment asap. They will then scan you and once you get to 9 weeks they will send a scan and blood test results to the Matilda to book you in. I would recommend getting on the case quickly as per the other posts the hospitals and in particular the Matilda fill up fast. There may be a couple of others not on that list who also deliver at the Matilda but my impression is that the ones who are either resident, or deliver there a lot get patients booked in more easily.
The only time you go to your GP through your pregnancy in HK is if you have an un-pregnancy related problem e.g. I got food poisoning. You will get a lot more scans here than in the UK (often at every visit) which makes the bills tot up pretty fast. If you want some midwife type support once the baby has arrived then either Yvonne Heavyside at Family Zone or Annerley are a good bet. Both also do Antenatal classes or you can do those at the Matilda too if you prefer.
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Thanks everyone. That makes it a lot clearer. It seems really obvious when you've been here a while I'm sure, but the system here is so different to the UK that it can be a bit confusing at first. Going to make an appointment today.
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TTD
15 yrs ago
Congratulations! It is all a bit daunting but it does all fall into place! I am having my second baby here in HK (Matilda - just love it there!!) with Dr Patrick Chan - he has a wonderful and warm bedside manner and is very popular amongst the aussies! 9 weeks is when you are booked into the Matilda and you pay a $20K deposit ( I know - ouch!) but this is refunded through your insurance when the final bill is paid after delivery. There were no problems with me being booked into the Matilda - Dr Chan's office organised everything, I just paid the deposit.
Newchickintown pretty much sums everything up - I have used Annerly after my last baby's birth for a home visit and they were great too! I had my first baby privately in Aus and I definitely found the level of care and support from my OB/GYN and the Matilda here to be exceptional!
Good luck and enjoy this precious time in your lives.
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Hi there,
Just to let you know... if you go and see the Matilda resident doctors, then their patients automatically get priority to give birth at Matilda... so there's no rush for you to sign up and book.
Dr Arabinda Ghosh's patients are automatically given a private room when they go and see him. (of course, you can change the booking to a cheaper room.)
Another Matilda doctor is Doctor Doo.
Perhaps you can contact Matilda and get the contact list of their doctors and you will be gauranteed to give birth there.
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Just to clarify, there is still a rush to book but you cannot book before 9 weeks and your obstetrician needs to be the one to make the booking. I have heard rumours that Central Health (where Lucy Lord and Grace Cheung are) have never had anyone turned down for a Matilda booking but that could just be rumour. I have just used Grace Cheung for #2 (born on 1 Jan) and she was excellent. Would recommend her. Nice manner and knows her stuff.
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Thanks all. In the end I decided to go to see Lucy Lord and try for a Matilda delivery (she seems optimistic). Found her to be great so far.
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Are you sure Lucy Lord can get you in Matilda? I also contacted her for my first pregnancy and she counldn't confirm that I could get in at Matilda, which is why we chose Dr Ghosh, because ALL his patients get Matilda priority. Same with Dr Doo I believe.
Anyway, good luck - I've heard Lucy Lord is lovely, which is why I was disappointed not to be her patient.
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Well there are no guarantees obviously. I thought about Dr Ghosh (for the reasons you outline) but I heard wildly variable accounts (it's so hard to know what to believe when you're relying on web forums when you don't know the background of the posters) . For LL the only criticism seemed to be that she can be " a bit abrupt" - which is fine because I also have those tendencies so we are probably well matched (although actually I havent found her to be that way at all)
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Dr Ghosh is very capable - you would certainly have no medical problems with him.
With regards to the variable accounts, I'm sure I could back some of those up! I always thought if I want to have my second at Matilda that I would try Dr Doo as my friend says lovely things about him.
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It's a very personal thing. I had the opposite experience to some of the above posters. Started with LL but found her disinterested in my medical history etc. I switched to Dr. Ghosh mostly on the basis that he's Dr Thondup's partner and I regard him extremely highly. I thought he was the most caring, professional and thorough obstetrician I've ever seen. Although his waiting room can be a nightmare, he's right there whenever you have concerns. He made the birth of our last child so much easier than the others, no tears, no stitches, about 2 pushes all down to his calm superb coaching. Cannot say enough about him.
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