# Private or Public (birth)



## Marbil

I am due first baby at xmas.  I have VHI cover which will cover me for 3 nights in hospital.  I have had friends that have stayed in public ward and friends that have had stayed in private, and the public ward friends said it was awful at night time when one baby started crying it woke the rest etc, the noise of visitors etc, no privacy etc etc.  On the other hand, some of them had good craic and made some good friends.  The private room means you have your privacy and own bathroom etc etc.  I am a bit worried about fees however and am wondering if we would be better off keeping this money for the non-paid maternity leave?  Im going to Drogheda.  My cousin told me what her BUPA didnt cover, she claimed for on a med1 form and got most (except about €200) back - is this the case for everyone?


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## rkeane

Not likely to ever give birth but, if you can excuse my ignorance, I would suggest going for the public option.  You get the same baby out of it and in the end you might even end up giving birth in a taxi forfeiting your cash to the private hospital.  Sorry if that sounded insensitive.


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## Marbil

no not insensitive at all - however, it would be great if my labour lasted from my house to the hospital - all of approx 8 mins!!!


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## rkeane

Marbil said:
			
		

> no not insensitive at all - however, it would be great if my labour lasted from my house to the hospital - all of approx 8 mins!!!


Kids these days, always in a rush to be someplace.


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## snuffle

I would see the public route as a slightly better option, given that you are not absoutely guaranteed a private room to yourself and may end up sharing with 1 or 2 others depending on availability anyway. The care is typically of the same standard (going on reports from new mothers,that is, I have not -yet- had personal experience of it!) whether public or private, and in many cases you may be attended to by the exact same staff. I'd think the money you save would probably be better put to helping you get over those few week's unpaid leave.
I'd agree with Rkeane - you end up with the same baby at the end of the day!


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## NHG

If you went public for gyne etc can you use your VHI cover for the  private room if there was one available?


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## Pavlik

We had our first in Holles Street (semi-private), and my wife couldn't handle the ward. We had our second in Newry. We went private, but it is covered by VHI, and the consultant was excellent - no queuing and very sympathetic. We will definitely go back to Daisy Hill for the next few...

I think that public or private is irrelevant, *in the case of a normal birth. *If you have a section then you could be in the ward for the best part of a week, which could be hell.


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## huskerdu

The option of private or public for maternity is much more than what room you stay in for the 3 nights. 
If you go private, you are paying a consultant for ob care for the pregancy, this costs around 2.5K in Dublin, less in some other towns. 

VHI cover most of the hospital fees but NOT the consultant fees. 

You cannot book a private room, if you are a public patient. 

There are a lot of different opinions on private versus public and if you
go to rollercoaster.ie you will find a lot of discussions but beware, it
is a very touchy subject for a lot of people.  I know a lot of people who
were happy with both, and I know a lot of people who were unhappy. 

You are not guaranteed a private room, even if you book one. 

Ring the hospital and get a rundown of fees. Find out what a consultant costs and then decide what else you would do with the money. 

good luck,


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## BH Hell

NHG said:
			
		

> If you went public for gyne etc can you use your VHI cover for the private room if there was one available?


You can use your cover depending what you have, best to check it out in advance.


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## BH Hell

huskerdu said:
			
		

> You cannot book a private room, if you are a public patient.
> 
> I went public but later found out I could have got a private room for 3 nights under my VHI cover.
> Marbil, I found it great comfort being in the ward.  I'm for going public but like huskerdu says a lot are for and a lot are against. your choice at end of the day. Was due to have baby in MLU in Drogheda but ended up a section, stayed 6 days!


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## huskerdu

Hi BH Hell, 
It depends on hospital policy. The Coombe and other Dublin hospitals do not allow public patients to book a private room, regardless on what the VHI say. 
Dont depned on this, until you have checked with your hospital.


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## Ceepee

It is also worth considering the pros and cons of private/public in the months preceding the birth.  I have heard of public patients waiting 2-3 hours for scans and other appointments, whereas if you are paying a consultant for private care you are far less likely to be left waiting for this length of time (though of course the consultant might be called out urgently at any time).  However, if you are doing combined care (where your visits alternate between the hospital and your own GP) this might be less of an issue for you.


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## Snork Maiden

Hi Marbil,

My sister recently had a baby in the coombe and went private.  As it turned out she went into labour and had the baby very quickly during the night and the consultant did not have time to be at the birth.....however she was billed for the consultant even though he wasnt present and arrived 30 mins too late.
Following the birth she was left waiting for a bed.  Two nurses stated that if she was prepared to take a public bed she would be settled into her ward asap but if she insisted on a private bed she would have up to a four/five hour wait......obviously she chose the public bed as a four hour/five hour wait wasnt appealling at 3.00 in the morning following delivery!  

My point is there are no gaurantees that you will get what all the trimmings with a going private.  However, my sister was delighted with the care and service she received during the pregnancy and during her stay.

Best wishes during your pregnancy whichever route you take!

SM


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## Fly

I've used the Rotunda semi-private, which is covered by the VHI standard plan, although there might be a small charge and thought it was great.  There are up to four in the ward, bathroom  / shower per ward, very clean, very good attention from nursing staff ie there is one in and out nearly all the time which is not true if you're in a room on your own.  And on your first it can be reassuring to have some old hands around to let you know that most things are perfectly normal (maybe not pleasant...but normal!)

The care in the public ward would be the same but I thought that the semi-private seemed less busy when I went for visits.  I never seemed to have to wait that long.  

The very best of luck...whatever your choice your baby will be your baby and it'll be the start of a new life for you!


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## bettyboo

I also went semi-private in the Rotunda but spent the first night on the public ward as I was told there was no room in semi-private. It was very noisy and I didnt sleep all night. I enquired the next day about moving to the semi-private ward and was told that there were still no spare beds there. At 10pm on the second night I was told to pack my things as there was a spare bed in the semi-private ward. In fact it had been free earlier that day (and maybe even the night before) but the staff in the semi private ward did not pass this info on the the staff in the public ward. It seems they preferred to have fewer mums to look after!


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## golden mean

Edited as I have just noticed you are the mother and not the father- sorry!

As far as I can see the main advantage of private is that you don't have to wait long for outpatient appointments. If you are both going to sit around waiting for appointments and either or both of you is self employed you can count in the opportunity cost of your time and you might well opt for private on that basis. 

Otherwise it depends on your own preference. The birth of your first child is likely to be emotionally as well as financially draining. It might be easier to anticipate the latter than the former!You might be glad of a bit of peace. afaik everyone can claim back their excess on MED1, so it does not work out as expensive as it looks, however do be aware that going private entails extra charges on top of what the consultant will charge you- you will have to pay private fees to other specialists too if you use their services (radiograoher, anaesthetist etc) Also, if baby needs any special care after birth they are (in most hospitals anyway) automatically regarded as a private patient if you are, and this could run up your costs too (eg if premature)

Good luck with it all


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## Sue Ellen

golden mean said:
			
		

> As far as I can see the main advantage of private is that you don't have to wait long for outpatient appointments. If you are both going to sit around waiting for appointments and either or both of you is self employed you can count in the opportunity cost of your time and you might well opt for private on that basis.


 
Even though I went private on both of mine each visit entailed a wait to see the doctor. They are regularly called away to deliver babies so this has a bearing on appointments.

AFAIK all gynaecologists will charge for the delivery whether they are present or not.


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## Jamjam

public everytime!


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## CharlieC

We went private on our first child in Holles St. 3k for Obs
Same Obs for every visit- never more than 15-20 min wait- meaning I could schedule it around my lunch hour.
She did mini-scans on every visit and spent time answering questions
Private room was available after birth
Obs attended birth as an observer- Generally the midwives deliver the baby.
Paid for 20 week scan
We have submitted a Med1 to recoup 42%

Semi-Private this time in Holles Street combined with GP care. Roughly 1- 1.5 hour wait. No scans each visit. Approx 5mins with Obs and her white wheel. Everything brusque. Paid for 20 week scan as above.

We had a look at the public ward and looked a bit of a cattle mart. They get the scan free.

I realise that in some areas you don't have the Semi-private option

If you can afford 1740 approx and you want a bit of empathy go private.


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## nelly

interesting to see that if you go public - ok it may be a bit of a cattle mart you get your scans done on each visit.


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## ACA

I'm assuming that you are a first time mum Marbil? My children are aged 18 and 9, I didn't feel particularly confident of my abilities when I had my daughter - as there was such a big gap in pregnancies. I went public at Holles St and yes the ward was a bit noisy but your baby learns very quickly to sleep thru ANYTHING! Any worries that you have are quickly ironed out by 'old hands' as previously mentioned and if you decide to breast-feed, the company and support is great - the midwifes were fantastic, especially the night staff. Most of your visitors would be coming in the afternoon or evening and a private room could be very lonely for you. I don't know which maternity hospital you're attending but I'm sure they would allow you to have a look around before the birth, to decide which is the best option for you. At the end of the day, raising a baby is expensive and I would save the VHI money for other things. Congratulations to you and your partner and the best of luck with whatever you decide.


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## CharlieC

nelly said:
			
		

> interesting to see that if you go public - ok it may be a bit of a cattle mart you get your scans done on each visit.


 
Nelly - are you outside of Dublin?- none of the Dublin Hospitals(that I am aware of) will scan per visit.


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## nelly

CharlieC said:
			
		

> We had a look at the public ward and looked a bit of a cattle mart. They get the scan free.



i thought this is what you meant?

My sis is a mw in a dublin hosp and she recommends public because they will scan you if they are worried about you on whatever visit and not if you are progressing normally. The care you receive from the staff should be the same  (although there are more patients in the public queue so to speak so you may not get a lot of time so they encourage folks write down all info so they can ask questions etc), so from that point of view you should not see any difference in care. 
finally regarding the "more empathy" - i would not bank on that...


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## CharlieC

nelly said:
			
		

> i thought this is what you meant?
> 
> My sis is a mw in a dublin hosp and she recommends public because they will scan you if they are worried about you on whatever visit and not if you are progressing normally. The care you receive from the staff should be the same (although there are more patients in the public queue so to speak so you may not get a lot of time so they encourage folks write down all info so they can ask questions etc), so from that point of view you should not see any difference in care.
> finally regarding the "more empathy" - i would not bank on that...


 
Ok so they do not scan you every visit, only if there is a concern- slightly different then getting a scan in public on every visit.

The private ob scanned my wife on every visit and she never had complications

The 'more empathy' comment is based upon my own experiences and would be of greater significance to first timers


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## JohnnyBoy

if birth goes fine,then private ward is great,however if there should be any problem during the birth,public hospitals ARE far better to look after you or your child,


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## purplealien

I went private on first and public on my second. Where i live (cork) if something goes wrong during the labour, you're brought to one of the public hospitals because they don't have the facilities to deal with such problems in the Bonds (private hospital). I know of two of the gynaecologists that work in the Bonds - their wives also went public. I personally will be going public again if i have any more.


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## nelly

just the drinking on the ward - this happened in a hosp in Cork where a crowd brought in cans to "wet the babies head" and were very loud.. 
People signed themselves out before the "crowd" were asked to leave - I could imagine my hubbie losing it if i were recuperating - public or private this should not be tolerated.


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## katiealice

Private for me. We paid my Consultant €2,500 and reclaimed 42% of that from Revenue.

If we had another child, i would definitely go private again.

My reasons for going private.

I wanted

1. set times to see my own consultant - only waited 20mins max.

2. Appointments in the evenings - didn't want to take time off work.

3. Enough time with my consultant - he was lovely and took loads of time to answer all my questions and those of my husband.

4. a private room - i like my privacy and didn't feel that a public or semi-private ward would give me that.

5. A scan at every visit.

6. the security of knowing a specific consultant was looking after me.


Johnnyboy, correct me if i'm wrong but when you mention private hospitals, i take it you mean, the likes of Mount Carmel. I think most Women going private would be attending the private section of a public hospital and therefore would get the same care as a public patient.


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## buyingabroad

Things can go wrong particularly if its your first birth. Heard too many stories of public patients ending up with bad results - wouldn't risk a child's future to save a few euros. You're missing the point if you're focussing in on private rooms and craic -this is serious business!


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## Kiddo

buyingabroad said:
			
		

> Things can go wrong particularly if its your first birth. Heard too many stories of public patients ending up with bad results - wouldn't risk a child's future to save a few euros. You're missing the point if you're focussing in on private rooms and craic -this is serious business!


 
Things can go wrong for a private patient too.

This is something we've been looking into recently and from what I can gather the only differences between private and public is 
You'll see the same consultant at every visit
Private room (if one is available)
Consultant will attend the birth. 

Its my understanding that once you're in the labour ward most of the work/supervision will be done by the midwives, regardless of whether you're public or private you'll get the same care from them. If you go private the consultant will be present at the birth but as stated earlier only in a spectator capacity. As a public patient if there is a problem the hospital consultant will attend. 

On that basis we have decided when the time comes to go semi-private.


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## ulcercentral

A question regarding claiming expenses on the med-1. I'm expecting our first child next Spring, and we have decided to go private, however I'm still in two minds about changing to semi-private.  Anyway, my husband and I are both working full-time but neither of us is taxed on the higher tax-band (very close to it, but still under the threshold). How will this affect the expenses claim? Surely we wouldn't get most of the expenses back as we're not paying 42% tax on our wages.... 

Advice very much appreciated!


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## RainyDay

Correct - you'll get tax relief based on whatever rate of tax you pay.


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## ulcercentral

That's what I imagined was the case. Thanks for the clarification. 

Is it possible to find out how much this would be?


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## Kiddo

ulcercentral said:
			
		

> That's what I imagined was the case. Thanks for the clarification.
> 
> Is it possible to find out how much this would be?


 
Total cost less anything paid by VHI/Bupa less €200 @ 20%


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## ulcercentral

Cheers! 

Now to decide once and for all about whether to stay private, or switch to semi-private!


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## Anitac

I'm expecting a child in October and opted for semi private.  The advantage over public is less waiting time for appointments and more comfortable environment than the public area.  Sharing with 2 or 3 others will not bother me as I think it'll be nice to have some company in the long days/nights outside of visiting hours.  Cost was €500 and the care has been excellent. Glad I didn't pay €2,500 for private


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## ulcercentral

Thanks for the insight Anitac.

I decided to change to semi-private, and they were able to fit me in a few weeks earlier for my first ante-natal appointment so it's all good!

Thanks again
UC


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## Coffee House

Anitac said:
			
		

> I'm expecting a child in October and opted for semi private. The advantage over public is less waiting time for appointments and more comfortable environment than the public area. Sharing with 2 or 3 others will not bother me as I think it'll be nice to have some company in the long days/nights outside of visiting hours. Cost was €500 and the care has been excellent. Glad I didn't pay €2,500 for private


 
You don't pay the full cost if you factor in what you get back. (42%)

My wife went private and we got most of it back. We paid 2,000 and received the 42% back, so it really only cost just over a 1,000. The peace of mind it gave my wife was definitely worth it as she was very relaxed before and after the birth because she was in comfort in her own private area. 

She had great regular check ups with scans everytime and pictures to accompany them. She then had a great stay in a private room with en-suite and complete privacy. 

While we walked the corridors (which you do) - we couldn't believe the public wards, full of noisy people and herded in like cattle. Overall, as you get most of your outlay back, private was the way to go for us.

For our next child we will definitely do the same.


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## rubberduckey

Hi Coffee House...

Can you tell me the hospital you and your wife went to??


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