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With the economic downturn, businesses are churning out frequent, or perpetual sales, in order to improve sales. From retail to electronics, F&B to air tickets, consumers are hoping to maximize their value per dollar, while enterprises are aiming to maximize their dollar for value. However, there is the one thing which remains unaffected in this gloomy weather, and that is hospital charges.
When it comes to delivering babies, hospital charges can be said to be anything but cheap, taking into consideration the type of room Mum-to-be stays and the duration of the stay. To be exact, the total cost of ‘baby delivery’, typically consists of: the services of the obstetrician/gynecologist and pediatrician; services of the anesthesiologist and epidural, if used; the cost of the stay in the hospital room and board; a nursery fee; laboratory fees; and any medications or medical supplies.
TheAsianparent.com spoke to some new mothers about their hospital bills that greeted them after they delivered their babies.
Ms Carol Liew delivered at the Pantai Ayer Keroh, Melaka, and her bill was RM2,000. She stayed in a normal ward for one night, and the fees included the use of forceps, painkiller and gas.
As for Ms Aishah Marican, who chose the University Malaya Specialist Centre, Klang Valley and stayed there for 3 Days 2 Nights, and delivered naturally; she paid approximately RM2,500 to RM3,000.
At the Island Hospital in Penang, prices were RM3,100 and RM4, 100 respectively for two new mothers, Ms Aini Shariff and Ms Nadia Ismail.
Ms Aini Shariff paid RM3, 100 for her 3 Day 2 Night stay at the hospital, including epidural for a normal delivery; whereas Ms Nadia Ismail paid a higher price of RM4,100 for her caesarian.
Another new mother, Ms Natasha Mehta, stayed at the Subang Jaya Medical Centre , PJ. She underwent a natural birth, and took medication to induce the birth, together with other processes which included vaccum and buttock injections. Her total bill was RM3,600.
If you think RM3,600 is expensive, think again!
In another hospital, in Petailing Jaya (PJ), Ms Nurul Mohid paid RM6,000 for her caesarian and 4 days, 4 nights stay at Assunta, PJ. Higher prices were generally found in Kuala Lumpur (KL), where the new mothers we spoke to paid RM4,000 and above for their delivery.
For instance, Ms Susan Ooi, stayed in a single room for one night at the Sunway hospital in KL, she paid RM4,300. This included her natural delivery, epidural, induced birth as well as vacuum. Ms Elaine Ong had an induced, caesarian birth at the Tawakai Hospital, KL and she stayed there for 3 days and 2 nights, which totaled her bill to RM6,300.
Last but not least, and also the most expensive, Ms Noni Fatimah paid RM6,494 for a 4 days and 3 nights after her caesarian which included spinal epidural. She stayed at the Perdana Specialist Hospital, Kota Bharu.
All in all, nobody said that delivering is easy on the pockets. But it is worth every penny when the delivery process is both safe and immaculate for both, mother and child.
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