Hi. I've been going to Dr Ho for the past 5 months plus or so. Initially i thought he was a slow-to-warm gynae, and given all the rave reviews on his painless delivery skills/excellent stitching I've decided to stick to him throughout this pregnancy and wait for him to warm up. After an episode with his clinic nurse yesterday, that was about the last straw and i'm looking around for another gynae. Any recommendations will be helpful!!
Some experiences in the clinic...
- lack of TLC: he's not very assuring, just states facts, doesnt seem to be pleased whenever i ask questions but I'm a 1st time mom...? so i guess he expects me to Google everything on my own? i would prefer having a gynae that explains and addresses my concerns instead of relying on the internet and forumers' advices all the time...
-fast ultrasound scans of my baby, sometimes just about 5 seconds to measure the length of baby and he will switch the monitor off...i dont even get to see the baby moving or the baby's heartbeat (fyi-the clinic charges $80 for each ultrasound scan plus a few printouts, usually one picture given)
-waiting time: average an hour or more
Episode yesterday: The nurse called and told me that there's an hour gap between the patient before me and mine, so asked me if i could make it earlier for today. Because my pregnancy has been difficult I'm always accompanied by either my parents or my husband outdoors, i called back and said that we will have to stick to our given appointment time today. I explained that my husband was working and by the time he finishes work we can only reach at the previously agreed time. She then told me that once the patients before me are finished with Dr Ho, Dr Ho may leave the clinic and she cannot guarantee that he will return.
I was caught off guard by what she said, and I asked naively "But how about my appointment slot? There's still my appointment?" She pointedly replied that she had already told me to come to the clinic an hour earlier to avoid the situation, but I refused (she used the word refused in chinese). I told her not that i refused, but that I need transport to the clinic because i have fainting spells daily and need to wait for the husband. My bp is so low that the other nurses have noticed it previously, and it's in my records. She said that I could take a cab down to the clinic first on my own, and get the husband to head down to Dr Ho's when he's done with his work. Whatever it is, she cannot help it if the doctor doesnt return for me, if i reach at my pre-arranged timing.
I understand clinics would like to close earlier on Saturdays, but I think it might be rather unfair to force me to change my timeslot to a timing that's inconvenient. Given that she called only yesterday for today's appointment, it was too late to make any changes. And what if I faint and fall on my way alone to the hospital? Who will be held responsible for that?
Having said all these, i can't imagine someone of Dr Ho's status disappearing on his patients. I would like to think that it was just the young nurse who wanted to shift the appointments earlier to facilitate the clinic's operating hours, but her bad attitude over the phone made me feel very uncomfortable. I would like to think that Dr Ho would be surrounded with staff as professional as he is...
Husband and I are quite sad to have to change gynae because i'm already halfway through, they have my records and Dr Ho's been reviewed as very good. But I haven't been experiencing the tlc that i thought i'd get and my friends have been egging me to find another gynae. Again, any good gynae recommendations appreciated! Just need one that will talk more than 3 mins to me, scans baby for me to see and answers questions. No need to fuss over me. Appreciate any feedback i can get!!!!