Beach_Seeker

Dear all,

We had a premature baby at 24 weeks and Al Wasl have been great, I cannot fault them at all. The little boy is doing well and is now 5 days old and stable. My question and hoping the community can help is does anyone know the daily charges for the NICU?

There has been no mention by the hospital and he will be in for a minimum of 2 to 3 months and would be good to have an understanding of their cost structure. We are registered and got told gives 50% off but got no reduction on the C section. If anyone could shed some light would be much appreciated.

Thanks kindly

Hello.Kitty

Firstly congratulations on the birth of your baby boy and on the fact he's doing well. I hope your wife is also recovering well!

I can't help on the costs though - it'd probably be best to ask the hospital directly, rather than rely on maybe outdated information from other people.

I'd really appreciate it if you could share any information you find so that it can be included in the Wiki entry called "giving birth in the UAE"

All the best!

busybee2

your location says abu dhabi, but al wasel is not? it may be cheaper in either the nicu of mafraq or corniche if you are able to transfer?

Beach_Seeker

thanks, used to live in Abu Dhabi and now moved to Dubai.

busybee2

change your location then pretty please.

al dente

First off - congratulations! What a surprising arrival your little one has pulled and great news that he is doing well. I had a conversation recently where i was discussing NICU with a doctor here and they mentioned something about the first two weeks not being covered by insurance (but that could have been in private hospitals only).

You need to speak to both Al Wasl and your insurance provider. I'm sure you have enough on your plate right now and are very busy. WHy don't you delegate this task to a friend who can go and do this for you. I'm sure you have plenty of friends who want to help out at this stressful time.

Best of luck and i hope your son continues to be stable and get stronger every day.

ps Ignore BB, i'm sure you have plenty to worry about without comments like that.

lionheart

I get the distinct impression that Middle East hospitals refuse to give birth (?) unless C-sections are performed. Any reason why?

al dente

Not sure what you mean? Of the bumper crop of babies born to mates here over the past year: 2 were planned c sections, 1 an emergency c - section and 7 natural births.

Hello.Kitty

on average, hospitals here are running at 50% c-sections.

Aside from costing more, OBGYNs here are obsessed with weight and I know quite a few people who were "advised" that they'd have a hard time pushing a 9lb baby out and by the way, we do offer c-sections and I'm free on such-and-such a day.

It's also seen as more convenient for all concerned - but I have a sneaking suspicion that it's more convenient for the OBGYNs who can then program their workload (cos they also have consultations running during the day). Fancy hanging around for this pesky "Nature" business?! It could be hours!

Obviously, there are also quite a few "emergency" cases, where bubs just needs to come out quick... but yes, the number of "electives" are high.

The UK is running at 20-25% depending on the hospital.