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IBD - Ulcerative colitis plus GP and hospital recommendation.

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  1. #1

    IBD - Ulcerative colitis plus GP and hospital recommendation.

    Hi All,

    So I appreciate that this is a long shot, but hoping someone may be able to help.

    We're moving back to HK in a couple of months. Previously (and luckily!) in HK I only ever visited a GP once and never needed anything else. Unfortunately however, in Macau I have been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis (currently on Pentasa), chronic gastritis and I also have calcific tendonitis in the shoulder.

    We are going to be living at either Kowloon Station or Olympic Station.

    I understand that as this is a pre-existing condition it won't be covered on my husbands medical (which won't kick in for 3 months anyway). So do I just use the local hospitals or should I take out extra private medical insurance?

    Also, are there any recommendations on a good Gastroenterologist (I would prefer female but appreciate that's not always possible).

    Are there any good local hospitals people prefer best in my area? Since Jan I've been hospitalised 5 times and it's only 5 mins away, so hoping for something fairly close for peace of mind.

    Is there a local GP that anyone can recommend - preferably with good English (I had to have a translator here and it was very difficult to understand what was going on, especially given how serious the disease).

    Is there a good physio in the area?

    I'm so sorry for all the questions, but just a little scared as it'll obviously all be a bit new and I struggle with it all at the best of times!

    Thank you so much in advance to anyone who may be able to help


  2. #2

    Join Date
    Feb 2005
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    Manchester, UK
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    7,790
    Quote Originally Posted by MovingBack47:
    We are going to be living at either Kowloon Station or Olympic Station.

    Are there any good local hospitals people prefer best in my area? Since Jan I've been hospitalised 5 times and it's only 5 mins away, so hoping for something fairly close for peace of mind.
    From where you are going to live there is 3 hospitals close by

    2 Govt Hospitals - Kwong Wah and Queen Elizabeth - Costs will be lot cheaper
    1 Private Hospital - St Teresa's - Can be expensive if you need to stay there, best if you have insurance.

    https://goo.gl/maps/jNn4PAfqQK92
    MovingBack47 likes this.

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Dec 2013
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    I've rarely found a doctor in HK that couldn't speak English. (Nurses and receptionists are another matter). The public system is excellent although there is often a wait. You may want to get into the public system and then just pay for private for a while while waiting.

    MovingBack47 and z754103 like this.

  4. #4

    Join Date
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    GPs here can write you a letter of referral into the government system, which will get you to a specialist clinic with regular follow-up, and all the testing and cheap prescriptions you wish you never needed. Even if you want to go private in the long term. this would be the obvious route to making sure that you will have access to informed, quality care in case of emergencies in the meantime.

    Also, do whatever it takes to get your medical records from Macau transferred to where you want them to be in Hong Kong. The idiosycracies and complexity of Macau law could make this a Big Thing, but with such a serious and chronic condition, it would be really useful for doctors here to have access to your history.


  5. #5

    Thank you so much for all this information!

    I think I was unlucky that one time I visited the Dr at Olympic, she didn't speak great English unfortunately... (and I don't expect it as I appreciate I am in their country, but just with this disease it would be good to have someone with good English!)

    The info on getting records transferred from here is very good advice. I have copies of everything, but will get my Gastroenterologist to do it formally as well. Just want to make sure I have all the boxes ticked and will comfortable when I arrive.

    Thank you for your time


  6. #6

    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Hong Kong
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    5,044

    If you're still looking for a Gastro, Prof. Siew C. Ng comes highly recommended

    Department of Medicine & Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong 香港中文大學內科及藥物治療學系

    MovingBack47 likes this.