[Children’s Hospitalisation] Can parents stay overnight? A comparison of ward charges at major private hospitals

Children generally have weaker resistance, and every parent will inevitably have experienced their child suddenly developing a fever or catching a cold. This is especially true for first-time parents, who can hardly avoid feeling helpless. If a child needs to be admitted for treatment because the illness is more serious, parents will also worry about them spending the night alone in a ward and feeling lonely and frightened. 10Life has therefore compiled an overview of private hospital inpatient charges for children, overnight companion arrangements, and even out-of-hours outpatient services, so that parents can be better prepared and ready to deal with unexpected situations at any time.

When choosing a hospital, apart from considering whether the location is convenient for visits, you should also keep an eye on your budget. This is especially important for parents who have not yet purchased medical insurance for their children, as they need to compare options carefully. The charges for paediatric wards in private hospitals vary greatly. The cheapest, St. Teresa’s Hospital, charges between HKD 730 and HKD 780 per night for a standard room, while the most expensive, Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital, charges as much as HKD 1,430 to HKD 1,630 per night for a standard room — double the price of St. Teresa’s.

In addition, paediatric wards in private hospitals generally allow at least one family member to stay overnight. Some hospitals do not charge an accompanying person fee, while others charge on a per-person basis.

General practitioners usually operate only during the day. If a child develops a fever late at night, parents’ first thought may be to go to the public hospital Accident and Emergency Department. However, waiting times at the A&E Department can be long, and you may have to wait overnight, which is exhausting for both parents and children. In fact, some private hospitals offer 24-hour out-patient or emergency services, which may be able to help parents.

In addition, before heading to the hospital, it is best to call ahead to make an appointment and enquire about waiting times, so as to avoid situations where a particular hospital’s outpatient clinic has already reached full capacity and stopped accepting patients, or where you may have to wait a long time because there are too many people in the queue at that time.

If a child needs to stay in hospital, parents may worry that the child will develop negative emotions. Hong Kong Children’s Hospital recommends explaining the reason for the admission to the child honestly, simply and directly a few days before admission, so that they have time to process it and ask questions. If the child is older, for example six years old or above, they may need longer to come to terms with it. If time permits, you may wish to start the conversation as early as two weeks before admission.

In addition, parents can let younger children bring their favourite toy, small blanket or family photos into hospital to help them feel more secure, and they may also prepare books, colouring books and crayons, as well as other leisure items.

Children have weaker immune systems and are more susceptible to illness, so they may need to seek medical treatment and even be hospitalised more often than adults. A stitch in time saves nine: if parents purchase children’s medical insurance early, they can choose treatment options more flexibly.

Children’s outpatient medical insurance generally covers consultation fees for general practitioners and specialists, as well as basic medication, but specialist outpatient consultations may require a referral letter. Children’s inpatient medical insurance is usually on a reimbursement basis, covering surgery and hospitalisation expenses, including ward charges, doctors’ ward rounds fees, meal expenses and bed charges for an accompanying person.

The scope of cover and compensation limits vary between insurance products, so parents should pay close attention to the policy details before taking out cover. Through 10Life’s Insurance Decoder, you can gain a preliminary understanding of the coverage provided by different insurance products.

Source: various private hospitals, Hong Kong Children’s Hospital

This English version of this article has been generated by machine translation powered by AI. It is provided solely for reference purposes. In the event of any discrepancy or inconsistency between this translation and the original Chinese version, the Chinese version shall prevail.