There’s probably a wide variation in practice among the private gynaes. Some people get ultrasound scans done at every consult, the tests recommended during the pregnancy may differ in some ways. But in general, the service is usually faster, and of course, you get the same gynae throughout (which is important to a lot of people). For some people with more complicated pregnancies, though, the private gynaes will ask them to go to certain public hospitals for follow up instead. Everything is charged at private rate, so you’ll also expect to get your single bedder rooms after you deliver. In public hospitals, there’s also a difference whether you’re a private or subsidised patient. Private patients will have their chosen gynae from start to end too, but subsidised patients will have different senior doctors seeing them each time, and delivering the baby too. There are more formalised protocols for blood tests and scans (dating scan at ~12 weeks, foetal anomaly scan at ~22 weeks and growth scan at ~32 weeks), although some additional tests and scans may be offered depending on the findings. Waiting time on the day of consultations is usually longer. For the wards when you get admitted on the day of delivery, your choice of room is also subject to availability. For eg, if there are no more single bedder rooms available, you may need to settle with 4-bedder wards for 1 night and then move to the A class ward the next day when people get discharged. I delivered in a public hospital twice (as a private patient). It was my preference, as I had a good gynae there, and there is also a good paediatrics team (which, as it turns out, my first child needed immediately after birth). No regrets for me.
Anonymous