Why Choose A Private Obstetrician & Gynaecologist?

Fundamentally, the private health sector focuses on the individual whereas the public health system is designed to care for the population as a whole. 



This page outline what this means in practice and the differences between Private and Public Obstetrics.

Choosing Private Obstetrician & Gynaecologist

As a private patient with Dr Ahmed Maruid you will receive:

• Quality care by a specialist obstetrician who is a fully qualified Specialist Obstetricians who has completed the 6 years of specialist training.
• Personalised care because we value every woman as a person, we value her relationship with her partner and share their excitement in the new life developing inside of her. We see it as a privilege to be chosen to be your doctor at this very special time. Waiting times to see our doctor is much less than in a public clinic. Emergencies do happen and there can be a long wait but that is the exception rather than the rule.
• Excellent support staff: All our staff share our ethos and are accommodating and caring. They understand that they are an integral part of a team that is providing care to women.
• We do ultrasound scans with every visit and will usually provide images of your baby. We can check the baby’s growth, fluid volume and position at every visit.
• Labour/birth care: During the labour women receive one on one midwifery care. Your doctor will liaise with your midwife and remain fully informed of your progress. We can also check your results and the fetal heart rate remotely on our computers/phones. We are happy to discuss birth preferences and accommodate specific requests provided that your baby’s safety is not put at risk.
• Special requests such as inductions or Caesarean sections can usually be accommodated.
• Liaison with your GP: We work closely with your GP and know how important it is that you maintain a link with your GP throughout your pregnancy. Your GP is the best person to provide ongoing care for both of you after the birth of your baby because your GP knows you and knows which professionals in your surrounding area to refer you to.
• Medical care can be very complex and sometimes there are several specialists and allied health workers involved in the care of a single disease.  Pregnancy is not a disease, it is mostly a condition of ultimate health! Unfortunately, things may go wrong and we will manage and liaise with all the people involved in your care during your pregnancy and in the immediate postnatal period, (sometimes also called the fourth trimester). But the time always comes for you to go back to your GP who provides ongoing care for both you and your baby. Until the time comes for the next baby!
• Dr Maruid has an extensive referral network of Physiotherapists, Diabetic educators, Psychologists, Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialists, Obstetric Physicians, Paediatricians, Paediatric Surgeons, Lactation Consultants, Psychiatrists, Endocrinologists, Cardiologists, Haematologists, Infectious Disease Specialists and General Surgeons to name a few.

About Public Obstetric Care

The role of the Public Health system is to ensure that the population as a whole is provided with the best care their budget allows for. Often this care cannot take individual preferences and requests into account.

Patients have to fit in with a system where success is measured in things like "satisfaction ratings",  “length of stay” (the shorter the better), “length of waiting lists for surgery” or “length of the waiting list for an appointment”. If you are classed as a non-urgent the benchmark is a 12-month wait for a clinic appointment and a 6 months wait for surgery. Sadly these targets are rarely met. Being in pain or in discomfort does not make your case urgent, it only becomes urgent if you are at risk of complications or death.

Once you get into a clinic you will often wait for hours to be seen. Despite public hospital being staffed by dedicated well-trained individuals, the system they toil under often makes patients feel unwanted and uncared for.

We know because we worked in these clinics and were often frustrated by the inefficiencies and understaffing with no ability to make improvements or changes.

You may feel that the  “system” does not care and that no individual takes responsibility for this lack of care. As long as these randomly assigned targets are met, the bureaucrats are happy.

Fortunately, pregnant women get into the system fairly quickly (babies cannot wait that long!) but cannot choose a hospital. You will be sent to the hospital of the catchment area you live in.

No Choice of Doctor

In large public hospitals, you will be cared for by teams. It is possible that you will go to your clinic visits and see a different person at every visit and be looked after by several shifts of doctors and midwives during your labour. Handovers will take place to ensure your safety but the personal element is often lost.

It can be very confusing and unsettling for patients, especially when there are complications and plans have to change. When you have a private specialist, they will be responsible for your care and if they are not available, the doctor covering for them will see you and be responsible for your care till your own doctor can see you again.

Public Doctors are Usually in Training

Front line medical staff in the public system are usually trainees. There are consultants (fully trained specialists) available but they are usually only called when things go wrong.

Everyone has to start somewhere and this is how junior doctors get their experience. Inexperience is an important factor in medical error and public hospitals guard against these by having regular clinical rounds lead by consultants to oversee management and make decisions.

Women are often frustrated by the inability of their immediate carers to make management decisions. For instance, when a complication comes to light after hours they may be asked to wait till the next clinic visit to discuss their future treatment with the team assigned to their care as the staff looking after them either do not have the knowledge or the authority to make those decisions.

Long Waits at Antenatal Clinics

Antenatal care is provided through antenatal clinics which usually means long waits in overcrowded spaces where you will be seen by a doctor or a midwife but you will rarely see the same person twice. This makes it very difficult to build a relationship of trust with anyone.

You have to trust the “system” and hope that you can communicate effectively with the people assigned to you. It often means telling your story over and over again.

Decisions

It is not unusual for a woman to request an induction of labour or even a Caesarean section for personal reasons. This is often not possible in the public system because if they do it for one they have to do it for everyone and the system cannot accommodate that.

The system can only cope with so many inductions or elective caesarean sections.

While this does not mean that we are pro-caesarean section or pro induction. We are pro vaginal birth and believe in as little intervention as possible but you have a choice and we can discuss that with you in an open and honest way so that you can make an informed decision.)

Equipment

We have an ultrasound at the bedside, this is not available in public clinics. We have the facilities to do colposcopies or insert contraceptive devices (eg Implanon or Mirena) on the day so no need to return later and again wait for hours to get it done.

Lack of Beds / Shorter Hospital Stay

Currently, the aim in public hospitals in WA is to discharge women within 36 hours after the birth of their first baby and 24 hours after the birth of their second baby. This is medically safe but terrible for women who have just given birth and gives them no time to recover or to learn new mothering skills. It is explained by saying that you are better off recuperating at home and that you will be visited at home by a midwife. 

Unfortunately, you cannot schedule these visits and if your baby is asleep or have just finished feeding, there will be little the midwife can do to help you.  There are very limited appointments available over weekends.

Private Health Funds pay for women to stay in hospital for 4 days after a normal delivery and 5 days after a caesarean section (and as long as medically needed if there are complications).