Hello! I saw there were some responses on the topic but not recent ones.
Does anybody know the current costs of having pregnancy checkups and giving birth in Taipei at public hospitals vs. private medical centers and what percentage or fixed costs are covered by the NHS?
Also, do you know if foreigners with APRC having a job for more than 6 months, paying labor insurance for more than a year, have the same rights regarding:
The prenatal checkups,
The 2 months paid maternity leave,
The 2 years parental leave (6 months with paid parental leave allowance)
Iām going through it right now! Ms. RickRoll and I are expecting our 4th kid
In all our pregnancies, we used public hospitals and pretty much every prenatal check up is covered by NHS, which includes blood tests and ultrasound every other visit. We just need to pay the consultation fee and some minor extras, about a few hundred NTD every time.
If you want additional exams, such as more frequent ultrasounds, specific blood tests, high definition ultrasound, etc., you will need to pay out of the pocket, and the cost will vary depending on the exam you want.
Aside from that, there are some other expenses for during and after the labor, which includes anesthetics, medications, private room, different meals, extra services. If my memory serves me right, we spend about 20k-30k on that.
As for labor rights, yes you get the same rights as a taiwanese. I, as the father, got 7 paid days and I could take the 2 years parental leave, but I only did it once.
However, itās worth to note that the parental leave pay is only 60% of the insurance bracket you pay, which means about 25k per month if your salary is above 45k, or something like that.
Thank you so much for your detailed response, did your partner do confinement? If yes, do you have any thoughts on going to the post-partum centres vs doing confinement at home? Any advice is really appreciated!!
We didnāt go to a clinic, just stayed at home eating light and resting.
We donāt think the post-partum clinics are worth what they charge, but YMMV.
Assuming you are in Taipei, this thread talked about centers in a specific area of Taipei.
The key I think is find somewhere thatās close by to where you live. Usually there will be frequent trips between home and the center, especially if you have pets.
If your work allows it, that of course is a good option. However, if you are going to get your pay deducted, I donāt see how that would be the better option.
The best case scenario is that the new mom doesnāt have a lot of physical discomfort, and her mother is able to come and take care of her.
I chose a center that is also an OBGYN. It wasnāt where my kid was born, but itās closer to where I live. My wifeās wound for some reason did not heal even after the 3 weeks she was there. The doctor would either come up to check on the wound, or the clinic would call to inform her that she can go down for her examination. Just the amount of pain saved from she having to travel to an OBGYN and wait in the waiting room was well worth the price. Her wound also prevented her from being able to sit or stand for a long period of time.
Itās expensive. If the new mother feels fine after giving birth, the only benefit would be she got more rest and there are IBCLCs or at least people with similar knowledge there to help with lactation. However, it would be too late to look for a center when you find out the new mom is in constant pain after giving birth.
My wife stayed in the (Taipei City) public hospital where she gave birth for post-partum recovery. The first time, there were like 3 nurses taking care of 5-6 babies. The second time 3 nurses taking care of 2 babies. We were very satisfied with the public hospital overall. She even had own room at the cost of a room for 3. Many locals go to post-partum centers where like 3 nurses take care of 20 or more babies.
My wife said they are a waste of money. She says she is Taiwanese, but she could be lying. We did order specially made food though. That cost 60k for 30 days.
I suppose not everyone is the same. But, you do not want your wife (or her family) to blame you for her bad health for the rest of her life. If your wife is not like that then all the better.
Ah sorry I didnāt clarify I was wondering how the tamsui branch was like (near zhuwei station). Iāve been to the one at shuanglian and it wasnāt the best experience. Weāve been doing the prenatal appointments in Tamsui but Iām just curious if anyone had experience with giving birth there
