medical procedure

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  1. #1

    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Originally from NY
    Posts
    55

    medical procedure

    i was in the States a month ago and saw my doctor. Recently I got word my pap smear was abnormal (sorry guys this is a lady problem)

    anyway my doc from America wants me to get a colcoscopy asap. i dont have a doc here but i looked at my blue cross blue shield and found docs in my network.

    I contacted one but that doc wants me to have a consultation 1st ('for a look') which will be 1500 hkd

    then i need to set an reservation at a hospital for the procedure (which ive read this procedure is usaully done at the doc's office) and then

    i have to pay all those fee's and then pay for a consultation after the procedure is done (although ive read that if cancerous cells are detected during the colcoscopy they usually zap them then)

    I am thinking to go to the public hopsital. I dont know what to do, this seems like a lot of time and money. i know health is important but it could be done easier.

    does anyone have any suggestions???????????

    thanks


  2. #2

    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Hong Kong
    Posts
    6,734

    Go ahead and go to a public hospital if you have HKID. You'll be in good hands. We have the world's highest life expectancy for women, so you're kinda better off here than you are in the US..heh. My mom just had heart surgery at a govt. hospital, and after watching Michael Moore's "Sicko," I'm always so grateful to be from HK when I see how well she's treated. The doctor who performed her surgery gave me a full breakdown of what he was going to do and even offered to show me a video of her arterial ultrasound.


  3. #3

    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Posts
    1,561

    Public hospital can probably do the procedure fine. Just make sure you feel comfortable with your doctor there, and the type of procedure they will use. There are generally several methods that docs can use for a test or procedure and you should be comfortable with the option the doc pics.

    You could also try Adventist Hospital. Most of the women at my office have all their medical procedures done there and they all recommend it. You could try to avoid some initial consult fees by talking to a doctor there and seeing if he will take your medical records instead of a consult. Even if he won't, its not a bad idea to consult with a doctor before a procedure - lets him get to know a bit of background about you that can help with the procedure, or the treatment if it ends up being needed. Sometimes lab tests don't tell you everything, and that's a big reason why doctors like to talk to new patients before doing more tests.

    A third option - you might want to consider going back to the US for the procedure - espeically if there is a prescribed set of tests and treatment that you are looking for. Sometimes medicine is just practiced different in different countries and your only option in HK may be to have additional appointments to take care of the problem, if there is one.


  4. #4

    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Toronto, Canada
    Posts
    127

    Can I steal this thread for a question?

    Reading jrose's post made me think of something. My husband & I will be retiring to Hong Kong in about 5 years. People think we are crazy to go because we will be giving up our "free" OHIP. (Provincial health care). We thought we could buy insurance once we got there. My reasearch hasn't got that far yet.

    My question is this. Hubby has ROA and will become a permanent resident as soon as he lands. Me, I have to apply for a dependant visa. Once we have these will we both be covered and for what exactly? What other additional or supplimentary insurance will we require?

    We don't plan on getting sick but when you get older we somehow start to fall apart.


  5. #5

    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Hong Kong
    Posts
    23,205

    The public health service in HK is essentially free for all residents (including people on Employment, Dependent & other visas). There is a HK$100 per visit nominal fee to try to deter timewasters.

    Like any public health service, there can be waiting lists for non-urgent procedures, so you can buy insurance which would enable you to "go private", which can help you jump the queue, and also gets you more "hotel-like" accommodation at the hospital (private room rather than a ward, etc).

    In a serious medical emergency you will in any case end up in the public hospitals because that's where the best medical facilities are for A&E (and they are teaching hospitals attached to the Universities).

    Of course, like any insurance, you will, on average, pay more in premiums than you will get back in benefits, so if your cashflow permits (and you don't have good reason to believe that you will beat the odds) then it may make more sense just to pay directly for whatever private treatment you need on a case-by-case basis.

    You could also go for a compromise that would be insurance but with a very high excess (say HK$50,000).

    Last edited by PDLM; 03-08-2007 at 10:07 AM.