Private hospitals not to hike childbirth charges

Private hospitals in Dubai said yesterday they have decided against raising the cost of maternity packages for now.

The move follows the UAE's Ministry of Health’s (MOH) decision to increase the fees for deliveries in government and MOH-affiliated hospitals by 100 per cent from next week.

The minimum cost of delivering a baby in Dubai is Dh5500 while the same can be done for less than one fifth of the cost in Fujeirah.

A normal delivery at hospitals run by the MOH costs just Dh2,500 at present while a Caesarean amounts to Dh5,000. Starting January 1, the fees of natural births in the government hospitals would be Dh5,000, while a Caesarean operation will cost Dh8,000 for health card holders.

The fees would be double for those without health cards. MOH said the hike is to meet the increasing costs of medicines, equipments and supplies used in these operations.

However, private hospitals in Dubai have said there may not be an immediate hike. Officials at many hospitals told Emirates 24|7 that the charges at private hospitals, which are already high compared to government hospitals, may not be revised.

“Right now we are unaware of any decision being made to increase the maternity charges. Whatever is on our website will continue to apply,” said an official at the American Hospital, one of the leading hospitals in the emirate. The administrative head at the hospital however declined comment for this article.

American Hospital currently charges Dh11,950 for a normal delivery with two days stay and Dh22,950 for a C-Section with a four-day stay.

In comparison, the charges at Medcare are Dh8,500 for a one-bed suite and Dh17,500 for a royal suite for normal delivery and Dh17,500 for a one-bed suite and Dh33,500 for a royal suite for a C-Section.

Charges for a normal delivery at Zulekha Hospital in Dubai vary between Dh5,000 and Dh8,000 based on the package and between Dh9,000 and Dh15,000 for a C-Section delivery.

At Al Zahra hospital in Sharjah, prices for a normal delivery range between Dh6,000 and Dh10,350, which also includes postnatal care while the cost of a C- Section varies between Dh17,250 and Dh19,550.

At GMC Hospital in Ajman, the charge for a normal delivery in a shared room is Dh2,300 while for a C-Section it costs around Dh5,050 for a three-day stay. At GMC in Fujeirah, it only costs Dh1,000 for a normal delivery and Dh3,000 for a C-Section, which includes a three-day stay in a private room.

Meanwhile according to Khalid Majid Lootah, Assistant Undersecretary for Institutional and Supporting Services, at the Ministry of Health, the increase of the natural and C-section birth operations in the Ministry's hospitals comes in response to the recommendations of the Ministry of Finance to cover the costs including those of medicines, supplies and equipments.

Lootah explained that the prices have been revised according to the costs and wages compared to the increased rates of the authorities and public sector for six months taking into consideration that the total costs of the Ministry's operations are less than those of the private sector with an average of 30 per cent.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.