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Q: Does anybody have any experience of their x-pat wife's/partners giving birth here in china?
hello my Wife (not Chinese )is pregnant and i was wondering if any body has any experience of giving birth in a Chinese hospital?
Can we get medical insurance from a Chinese company to help towards the cost of the medical bills?
we really cant afford the luxury of western medical insurance and I'm not sure our current Chinese policy would cover this( not sure it covers any thing at all ?)
i had to stay in hospital in china a few years ago for a couple of weeks and the insurance company refused to pay back any money because i had asked for western medicine "pain killers" and they said that this was not covered under the policy!!!
is it still possible to get insurance for my wife or is it to late because we already now she is pregnant?
any information or advice would be greatly appreciated,
Thank you
10 years 50 weeks ago in Health & Safety - China
My ex-wife gave birth to our son in the Second Women's University Hospital in Chengdu.
Cost less than 25k Yuan with a Caesarean too.
The troubles with him and hospitals came after, and may troubles there were too.
EDIT:
Can get insurance but not sure what is covered, and whether or not you will be.
Medical insurance never covers pre-existing conditions. That is why as soon as you get married, you should purchase insurance that covers pregnancy-related costs (usually pay first then get reimbursed). #1 hospitals and army/air force hospitals tend to be the best for care (Womens' Hospitals tend to be spartan). Be prepared to have at least 20K RMB to put down as a deposit. I was told 14K RMB for the delivery of my twins and that quickly grew to 30K. I would honestly suggest that you deliver 'back home' or Hong Kong (or Thailand at the least). You do not want to go through the pressure and stress if anything goes wrong. Good luck.
Thanks for the answers
going back home is not option as my wife is not from the same country as me and the UK border agency will not grant her a visa,
we could try my wifes country but i think i couldn't get time off work to go with her and we dont have any family there,
we live in shenzhen so hong kong maybe the better option,
icnif77:
Few months ago, I read HK Hospitals restricted admission to Non-HK female residents access to Birth Hospitals, because too many mainland women wanted to give birth in HK Hospitals.
I am not sure, if restriction applies to other Nationals, but you might seek info about it before travel to HK.
I considered my options during a scare and quickly concluded that if I got pregnant in China, I'd be on a plane home as soon as it was safe. Good luck.
hello , thanks for the answers,
from what i have been told and my research you must have a HK ID ( or be the spouse of somebody who has HKID) card to be able to use the HK public (discounted rate ) hospitals any foreigner ( non HK id card holder) who wishes to use the hospital for treatment must pay a $40,000.00 hkd deposit up front and then pay the outstanding balance every morning,
they have set prices for things for giving birth with no complications its around 100k plus room and food charges plus extras !!!
the has been put into place to curb the flow of mainland Chinese giving birth there and claiming HK passports for their children , last year i think there was 83,000 births in hong kong and 41,000 was from mainland Chinese,
maxwell888:
Hello just thought i would post the email i recieved from HK hospital authority it makes things very clear and it has some useful links that may be of help to any one looking for health care in HK,
get ready to pay out some money, and make sure you have someone who can translate fully.
My wife and I just got through a night mare here from this issue
wow…
i've been through 2 births with my chinese wife, and although i have many complaints about the hospital treatment, theyd never dare charge so much. the best service we received was from a provincial women's & children's hospital. i even wrote a blog about how we fought for her right to get a VBAC, but the blog didnt get approved due to alleged advertising. even after removing any reference to real persons and companies, still not approved. PM me if you want to contact an american nursing professional. even if you're not in sichuan, she gave me tons of helpful advice for free, and she knows doctors who have delivered for expats.
i'd advise you to get a dedicated interpreter for the duration. someone with common sense and your best interests at heart. they can negotiate price and treatment without alienating the chinese staff. one of that american nurse's DOULA students could probably help in that aspect.
