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Public or Semi-Private?

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  • 22-04-2010 3:22pm
    #1
    Mammy2B
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4 ✭


    I'm new to the forum and about 5 weeks pregnant :D
    I'm looking for advice on wether to go Semi-Private or stick to Public.... We've chosen the Coombe, because of where we live and also good recommendations from people I know who have had their babies there.
    I understand that the main difference is in the rooms/ward that you are in after your birth, but what difference is there before birth? I asked the hospital and they said they can't guarantee the same consultant each time, but that they try. I am reluctant to see different doctors/staff each time, as me and my partner are both very private people.
    My health insurance covers 3 days in hospital after birth and also 300 Euro towards total costs for ante/post natal care. It would still mean an additional cost of 900 Euro+ though.
    Any views on wether it's worth it or not?
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    #2
    Terpsichore
    Registered Users Posts: 269 ✭✭Terpsichore


    My husband kind of insisted we go semi private. I think there is something re-assuring about it... But when they ask us to pay the EUR500.00 fee he looked at me and asked me if I knew about it!!! Daahhh!!

    We're 32 weeks pregnant now, and I don't know why we have bothered. I should have gone with my gut instinct and stick to Public, because all the diffrences they are trying to explain between Public/SemiPrivate/Private are just not relevant with the current babyboom. Care is excellent anyhow, as long as you deal with experienced people.

    Once the doctor was replaced by another one, without explaination. Which is fine by me, but maybe not for everybody else. You wait about an hour and a half to be seen by the doctor for 1 minute.

    I have a normal pregnancy and I'm quite happy that the doctor won't spend a lot of time with me. If he did, it might mean there's a problem...

    I was a at Breastfeeding class this week and probably 80% of the women there were Public. I could see that because they made a book go by for everybody to put their name down and the clinic they were attending. Don't know if it means anything, but might help!

    As for Private, don't even get me started on it! I really don't see the need for it. It's seems to me to be geared only for very rich people who don't want to mix with the rest of the population... Maybe I'm totaly wrong. ..


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    #3
    haze,
    Closed Accounts Posts: 32 ✭haze,


    Hi I had my son 6 months ago in coombe and I think I had fantastic care in public system. Ward is only 6 beds max so I thats only 2 more then semi private I think? It really only makes a difference in the accomodation afterwards rather then the care you get. If the semi p rooms are full after you've had baby you will end up in a public ward for a night anyway. As a public patient I had a mini scan every time I saw the obs, which was lovely. I have insurance so could have gone semi p, but I'm so glad I didnt. I ended up in a high risk clinic where public, semi p & private all attended and I can assure you that they didnt spend any more time or care more for the patients who paid for their care. Maternity care in ireland is (sadly) the only place where I think there is little difference between the care public & private patients get.

    Btw, I heard that the wait for an apointment in semi p is much longer then wait for public cos the baby boom so that may influence your decision. Best of luck with pregnancy.:)

    Terpsichore- you're right about private- total waste of money imo. Midwives do all the work and doc only swans in for the last bit of birth like the messiah. Sure if you need a doc in delivery room theres always several on call of different ranks.


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    #4
    ebmma
    Closed Accounts Posts: 631 ✭✭✭ebmma


    I was a Holles St. patient, but Coombe might have something similar - go to a midwives clinic if you can.
    Waiting times are much shorter, they have more time for you to answer any questions and if you require a doctor for a specific problem you'll be seen by him anyway. But for a normal pregnancy there's really no need.
    I had a very straightforward pregnancy and never had to see an obstetrician (until I had to have an emergency section anyway).
    I had 2 scans (free, of course) anomaly at 18 weeks and an extra at 38 weeks because there was some concern about baby's size.

    After the birth I was in teh same ward as a girl who went private, by the way :D


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