Hong Kong Orientation Guide

Maternity

Hong Kong is well-equipped with medical facilities and compares favorably with other developed countries.

Youcanchoose togivebirth inapublicorprivatehospital.For thosewhooptforapublichospital, Government-funded medical services are available to all eligible residents at a subsidized cost. There isagovernment-fundedpre-andpost-natal careprogramformothersandbabies,aswell as programs on care for young children, which include topics such as vaccinations. Pregnant women are advised to book their hospital as early as possible. Some women choose tobookbothapublicandprivatehospital incaseoneofthem isnotavailable.TheCommunity Advice Bureau can provide information on the English-speaking maternity facilities. The Family Health Services provides a comprehensive range of services for pregnant women who are residents of Hong Kong. You can enjoy a comprehensive antenatal shared-care programme provided by the Maternal and Child Health Centre (MCHCs) of the Department of Health in collaboration with the obstetrics departments of public hospitals. The programme will monitor the progress of your entire pregnancy and delivery process. You will receive routine check-ups, blood tests and health education information during your antenatal visits. Once the pregnancy has been confirmed contact the nearest centre – many operate a booking system for newappointments or give a timewindowwhen newcases should attend.Much of thisinformation isavailableonline.Afteran initial visit,thepregnantwomanmaybe issuedwith a recordcardwhich shemusttake onsubsequent visits.Please refer to thebelowHongKong Government website for eligibility and information on antenatal care. www.gov.hk/en/residents/health/healthedu/havingababy.htm For those opting for private care,all the above services and tests would be conducted by your Obstetrician of choice within his/her offices. The nurse within the Obstetricians office would liaise directly with the hospital and book the relevant maternity package as directed by you. Some mothers choose to pay for a private obstetrician for the duration of their pregnancy, however,then deliver the babyina public hospital. This isallowed,however,isrecommended that you continue with the relevant check-ups and appointments through the government system to ensure that the public hospital is up to date with all the latest information on your pregnancy and to familiarize yourself with the system and the hospital. Pregnancy and Ante-Natal Care

The Birth

There are a number of private and government hospitals withmaternity wings. Costs vary between facilities.Many hospitals have their ownwebsites where they publish their facilities and charges.

Government and private hospitals have recently experienced problems with women coming from mainland China to give birth in their facilities and then return home again as Hong Kong law statesthatachildborn inHongKongtoaparentfromChinahasa righttoHongKong residency. This has led to public and privatehospitals being full and unable to takewomen wishing to give birth in them.Manyof theprivatehospitalshave introducedanadditional fee to tryandalleviate this problem. The Government is also trying to address this issue to avoid any further issues.

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