My Pregnancy Diary 4 - Review: Maternity Tour @ Thomson Medical Centre

Hi All,

Yes, I am now in my 29th week of pregnancy. 

Last week on 20th May, I went to my 28th week prenatal consultation to check how's my Aedan doing and had also done a glucose test and another blood test to check my haemoglobin level. According to my gynae, he is currently weighing 1.3kg and is very active! :)
Based on this growth rate, he is projected to weigh about 3.1-3.2 kg at due date which is good for natural birth.

After the checkout, my hubby and I went for lunch buffet at Shin Minori, a movie and a good time hangout together to celebrate his birthday. :) 

Sharing photos of my little Aedan at 26 & 28 weeks.

Week 26

@week 26 practicing punching & kicking

Week 28

@week 28 practicing touching his forehead with his feet. Hehe

______________________________________________________

In the last post, I have done a review on my maternity tour at Mount Alvernia Hospital. Today, I'll like to review on my maternity tour at Thomson Medical Centre (TMC).

When my hubby and I visited TMC for the tour, our first impression: the place was really crowded and confined.

We made our registration at the counter where we were given a goodies bag and a tour number. I understand from them that they have several tours a day so we need to get a number tag to know which tour to follow.

At the start of the tour, we were first guided on the pre-admission/ admission procedure. We were advised that the registration for admission is to be done at the 24-hr Patient Service Centre located at the hospital lobby. At the day of delivery, mommy may take Lift A straight to the birth room/delivery suite located at level 2 while daddy can register at Patient Service Centre located near the lobby.

What to bring for registration?
1. Admission Letter from gynae
2.  NRIC or Passport (for non-Singaporeans) for both daddy & mummy
3. Letter of Guarantee from insurance company/employer (applicable to companies which have credit arrangements with the hospital)

An admission deposit is required upon admission or pre-admission. The amount varies in accordance to the choice of room and whether Medisave is used.

We were briefed that they have 12 birth rooms and 6 operation rooms. The guide told us that mommy needs to bring her own clothes for changing as TMC do not provide clothes for mommy.

The tour guide also brought us to level 6 to show us the maternity bed rooms. TMC has a range of bedrooms: premier single, super deluxe/premier deluxe, premier suites, single-bedded room, 2-bedded room and 4-bedded room.
TMC has 40 single bedded room, 6 suites and 3 deluxe which means that there is a high chance that mommy can guarantee their single room. If maternity patient has booked a single room prior to admission at TMC, in the event that the preferred single room type is unavailable at the time of admission, TMC will provide a complimentary upgrade or a waiver of S$100 off the room stay per day if mommy is lodged temporarily in a 2-bedded room.

There will be an additional charge of approx. S$90/day for companion (meal inclusive)

Maternity packages include the following:

• Lodging, inclusive of meals 
• Labour ward charges (up to 8 hrs and S$100/hr for subsequent hrs) or operating theatre charges (60 mins) and 15 mins use of recovery room. 
• Daily treatment fee for nursing services 
• Baby’s immunisations (BCG, 1st doze of Hep B and Vitamin E)
• 7 hours CTG monitoring for Normal/Assisted Vaginal Delivery (S$33.5/hr for subsequent hrs)
• Babies and mummy required toiletries and diapers during the stay  

• One time complimentary lactation consultation 

•  Package commence from the time of admission (meaning if mummy admin at 11pm, it will be considered as one day)

Items not included in the package price: 

Accommodation for companion (single room only), specific consumables and medications (e.g. abdominal binder, antibiotics, etc), new-born hearing screening, phototherapy, OT surcharge for horoscopic LSCS, use of OT, recovery, general anaesthetic in excess of the stipulaed time, OT Assistance, Call-back (8pm to 7am daily), ECG, treadmill test, radiological contrasts, diagnostic services (CT, MRI, Ultrasound, X-ray, etc), laboratory tests including blood transfusion products and services, histopathology, genetic studies, FNA, referred laboratory services, rehabilitation services, out-patient service, discharge medication, non-medical items/ services (extra meals, parent craft service, etc), pre-admission investigations, doctors' fees, administration fees, for emergency caesarean delivery (use of forceps/vacuum pump, use of labour ward delivery facility, CTG monitoring, etc.)

We were also briefed by the guide that TMC discharge time is at 11am. Additional half day's room rate will be charged for discharges after 11am, and a full day's rate will be levied for discharges after 6pm. 

Here's some photos we took during our maternity tour. For more photos, you may check out their website at: http://www.thomsonmedical.com/virtualtour/index.html

Photo of their delivery suite.
It has a nice sofa beside the bed.
They also have a gym ball and bathe tub near to the bed, however, usage of the gym ball and bathe tub during delivery is chargeable. 

Photo of their one-bedded room.

My verdict:

My impression of the hospital is good after the maternity tour. They have well furnished single bedded rooms and their delivery suite looks comfortable too. The only downside which we discovered during the visit is that their lobby was really crowded and the nurses all looked really busy. 

After I went home to look into the details of the maternity package and also to check with other friends who had delivered at TMC, I discovered that there are many hidden costs. 
Firstly, unlike Mount Alvernia and Mount Elizabeth where their maternity package includes 12 hrs use of delivery suite and use of facilities, TMC only allow up to 8 hrs use of delivery suite and charge S$100/hr for subsequent hrs and charge $33.5/hr on CTG monitoring after 7 hrs. I understood from many mothers that it is common for delivery to last more than 12 hrs. Hence, as compared to Mount A and Mount E, it will cost additional S$567.5 (excluding GST) if my delivery last for 12 hrs. 

Moreover, my friends mentioned that their bills include many other costs such as use of additional pillow and stuff. 

Though TMC provides good facilities and guarantee single bedded room, there are concerns over the hidden costs. With similar budget, we may opt for Mount Elizabeth Novena which provides better facilities.  

I'm having headache trying to decide on the hospital for my delivery. 

I shall review Mount Elizabeth Novena maternity tour in the next blog post.

Share if you like this post!

Like Twentysixoctober fb page to follow our stories as it's where we connect with our readers. :)

Cheers,
TwentySixOctober