Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
pampering, and massaging the baby.” When I asked about classes for such things
as delivery preparation and breathing techniques, they replied, “Oh, that's okay, the
nurse will tell you when and how to breathe in and out.” So, perhaps I might need
to work on that myself. They also have a session about how to become a brave and
courageous mother. (I think I'd really like to participate in this one!)
As for the price, it was RMB30,000 for the delivery and a standard room that in-
cluded both a real bed for a visitor and a huge bathroom.
Dosages may also be different in Beijing than in your home country, especially for an-
tibiotics, which are highly overprescribed. Unfortunately there is also a financial “perverse
incentive,” says Dr. Saint Cyr. “The hospital makes a 15 percent cut off most prescriptions,
and after the government dropped its financial support from most hospitals, the hospitals
do rely on prescriptions and procedures, and so doctors are pressured to prescribe or to
prescribe expensive things. They may also prescribe IVs—intravenous hydration or intra-
venous antibiotics—which almost no Western hospital would do. It's basically a revenue
maker. It's certainly not evidence based.”
Most international hospitals and clinics have their own pharmacy, and it's best, and
sometimes necessary, to use this if you have seen a doctor at that facility. Street-side phar-
macies may not have the medication you've been prescribed, the medication from the clinic
will be labeled in English, and you can set up a refill schedule on the pharmacy computer,
meaning you don't have to see the doctor every time you need your medication.
Before you leave your home country, be sure to arrange a three-month supply of any
medication, just to allow for a new system of care to be established. Additionally, when
carrying medication while traveling, always be sure to keep a copy of the prescription or
a letter from your doctor on you. You should also bring your medical records, or at least a
summary or hard copy of your medical history, especially if you are on a complicated re-
gimen of medication. Finally, when time comes to leave Beijing, don't forget to obtain a
copy of your medical records. This can take up to a month to process from the hospitals,
including the international ones, and requires you to visit the hospital's medical records de-
partment in person.
