Birth now a private affair for expats in Bahrain

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com

Email: editor@newsofbahrain.com

Private hospitals in the Kingdom are gearing up for a surge in maternity patients following a new directive from Government Hospitals, which mandates that all non-Bahraini women be referred to private facilities for delivery.

The circular issued to all government hospital staff stipulates that non-Bahraini patients should be referred to private hospitals or their primary healthcare facilities for delivery.

Public data from 2020 reveals that public hospitals handled 13,292 deliveries compared to 4,000 at private hospitals. Meanwhile, the recent increase in maternity advertisements in the media also indicates that private sector hospitals are preparing for this influx while maintaining high standards of care.

Sources confirmed to The Daily Tribune that the new policy, effective from the start of this month, is intended to enhance the quality of care and services for patients. According to the advertisements reviewed by The Daily Tribune, private hospitals charge BD350 for a normal delivery and BD700 or more for a caesarean section.

In contrast, Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) charges BD150 for normal birth, despite BD574 being the actual expense for a normal birth and over BD747 for a caesarean section, as outlined in a parliamentary inquiry report presented by former MP Ali Eshaqi in 2020.

The report notes that SMC’s costs include accommodation, delivery room, operations, and medical staff. Referral criteria include:

• Patients classified as low-risk with no underlying medical conditions.

• Those at 37 weeks gestation or full term (excluding preterm cases).

• Patients not booked with Primary Care facilities or not receiving follow-up care at SMC.

• Patients not in active labour, specifically with cervical dilation of 3 cm or less. Hospital staff are urged to follow these criteria to ensure a smoother healthcare experience for all patients.

The recent decision to direct expatriate women to private hospitals for childbirth will have no impact on medical health or quality of life, according to a parliamentary source. In a statement to the Daily Tribune, the source assured, “Bahrain offers distinguished private medical care with competitive pricing.

Therefore, this decision will not impact the medical health or quality of life for anyone.” The source further emphasized that the policy aims to ensure that “both citizens and residents receive nothing short of exceptional medical care.” The decision was made following extensive discussions with the Ministry of Health.

“We held a meeting to address the issue of the increasing number of patients expected to deliver. To ensure proper medical attention for everyone, the decision to refer expatriate patients to private facilities was made,” the source explained.

The source also noted that there was some consideration of simply raising prices as an alternative, but the decision ultimately focused on the referral policy to manage patient loads effectively