A Consumer Council survey has revealed that charges for maternity packages, including items for maternal and baby care, in some private hospitals have increased substantially this year. The maximum increase is almost 50%.
According to some complainants, the items included in the maternity packages are not explicitly specified in the promotion leaflets. Some miscellaneous items are not included in the packages and could end up as a huge sum in the bill.
The survey covered the maternity packages of 10 private hospitals. In the past 18 months (from May 2010 to November 2011), 7 private hospitals have adjusted their charges upward this year while another 2 hospitals will increase the prices in January and April next year. Only one hospital has kept the package price unchanged.
As compared with the survey conducted by the Council last year, the latest survey shows that in the 9 private hospitals which have adjusted the charges for maternity package, the surge in prices for normal delivery (covering baby care) for local mothers varies from 6.5% to 48.9%, while caesarean section packages (covering baby care) have gone up from 2.8% to 45.4%, basing on the same room type and length of hospital stay.
There is a big increase in the complaints lodged to the Council in regard to maternity services of private hospitals. The number of cases has increased from 2 and 3 respectively in 2009 and 2010, to 25 during the first 10 months this year, 8 times higher than 2010. These complaints are mainly on the unexpected price increase, and ambiguous or unreasonable charges.
In one case, there was an abrupt notice of price increase for the hospitalization, causing the complainant's budget for the maternity service to inflate by 25%, from HK$40,000 to HK$50,000. As the complainant was close to giving birth to her baby at the time of the price increase, she had no choice but to pay for the extra charges and she reckoned that the practice of the hospital was not fair to consumers.
In another case, the complainant's wife opted for caesarean section package which he estimated to cost around HK$45,000. It was not until he saw the bill that he realized the actual charge was over HK$70,000. HK$5,000 was charged more for emergency caesarean section performed an hour in advance upon the request of the attending doctor, and there were additional charges of various medical items, along with an administration fee of HK$15,000.
The Council's survey reveals that some usual medical treatments during delivery of the babies are not included in the maternity packages in some private hospitals. There may be extra payments on items such as:
- Spouse attendance at time of delivery or caesarian section;
- Fetal heart monitoring during labour;
- Forceps delivery or vacuum extraction;
- Epidural analgesia during labour;
- Incubator or phototherapy for the baby;
- Breast pump after delivery
Furthermore, most of the private hospitals will impose a surcharge in different time slots for the use of the operation theatre in emergency situations, and for caesarean section at specific time (e.g. weekdays/weekends, regular/non-regular hours). Generally speaking, the additional charge for emergency caesarean section varies from HK$1,500 to 42,950, and for caesarean section to be carried out at specified time, from HK$3,000 to HK$65,000. Surcharges for using the operation theatre differ when its usage straddles over two time slots.
The Council urges all private hospitals to state clearly and in detail the terms of service in their maternity packages, so that consumers can better prepare their budget. This also helps easing their worries in making arrangements and planning for the fees, thus reducing possible disputes.
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