Nzingha's Soapbox
Salaam,
I'm just a blog stalker, but this post compelled me to come from hiding and make a comment.
Maybe you can offer the therapist slightly more than what you pay at the office for him/her to come to your home. Is that thinking too simply? Is there more to it than that? If the therapists started doing that, the hospital might see that this crazy price increase is doing nothing but hurting themselves...
Just a thought.
I really feel for the people having to use this hospital! Those increases are ridiculous!
Wow, that's crazy. Usually when prices are jacked up so much like that they usually have a somewhat decent reason. At the very least they offer BS excuses like saying they're renovating or upgrading their computer systems. I can't believe they're raising everything like that and are not even bothering to make some improvement to their facilities or what's being offered to patients.
I think Safiyyah has a pretty good idea btw 
This is really shocking. Is it a good idea to go public about their policies and practices while living in Saudi Arabia ? Nothing on the internet is really private. I hope you try the suggestion that Safiyyah made just to see what happens. This therapy is so necessary for your son. Maybe this is a passive aggressive way to stop servicing the disabled and uninsured.
Mind boggling! And such a poor business strategy that one does wonder if they are pricing out certain types of patients or payers.
Pediatric patients are a particularly vulnerable population, as are their parents who will make sacrifices for their children, that they wouldn't make for their own care.
Home visits if possible are a great option. However, such employers usually require an exclusivity clause on pain of firing.
Ugly way to provide health care even for a private care group (they usually overcharge but don't alienate their clientele).
This must be so frustrating for you. As the mother of a child with a disability myself, I share your frustration. I know what it's like to have to decide not to pursue a particular kind of therapy because it was simply too expensive and not covered by insurance. Your little guy is still so young that group sessions, which can be a lot less expensive, are out of the question.
Safiyyah- unlike the US the therapist is a contract higher from another country and will loose her job if she started doing that. I would like to kidnap her and keep her at my house but there are laws against that too.
tulip- the hospital would make many us hospitals weep if they saw what it has. It is going to open a new building to include better cancer treatments in order to get some of the money going out the country by some who seek treatments abroad. But when you put your services out of reach than you'll have fancy buildings, too much personal and no clients. Insurance companies will start dumping them from the accepted list and what then? Cash payers won't be the only ones to have an issue.
Umm Umar- This is something I've said to their personal. I'm not posting anything I wouldn't say to their CEO Saudi isn't that harsh when it comes to telling companies that their policies are stupid and their people are greedy. I'm sure they have a load of complaints saying the same thing. I will be adding mine to a formal letter to the hospital explaining that their increases are stupid. But probably in a better worded way
It could be a way of getting rid of cash patients. But they also hold these costs for insurances and private companies. So i can't see them accepting this either.
Chiara- There is no home health care as a system here. I would love to get my therapist to come to our house and bypass the hospital but she can't do it. My plan is to look for another place both in Bahrain and Saudi. I have a contact for a dr. that is supposed to be super wonderful with children who have disabilities and I'll get the 411 from her what is available here in Bahrain (she is very active from what I understand). Next stop a new hospital that opened up a walk away from where we just moved to. So i'll have a looksee what they have available.
Worse comes to worse.. i continue to pay the extortion of this hospital, bitch and complain to every single supervisor in earshot and hope they come back to some sense at some point.
Irisheyesksa- At this point we can afford to pay their prices without it being a decision over eating or therapy. BUT there are so many others that these prices put good quality therapy out of reach to. What of them? It will add up for us what we normally do w/ that money we won't. what we could be saving we won't. what we could easily pass on to those that ask we won't. so it does have an affect on us.. but for so many they have to decide therapy they can't do and as you say it is so very important.
Moving may have a plus side yet! I hope nearby hospital has suitable services.
In-freaking-credible.
I can't believe the prices and how they've increased in EVERYTHING over here.
I hope you can find your way around this somehow. Any chance in hiring a nurse full time? (sorry if you've answered this question - I'm soo lazy to read through all the posts).
chiara- I could have went to the hospital without moving I do have an appointment here on thursday w/ a dr. and she should give me info on what is available here in Bahrain
L- prices have increased here but not like that!! I don't need a full time nurse so haven't really bothred. Just a physical therapist and occupational therapist once a week. I will have a speech therapist after 6 months (talked to her already) but she is from when I had leyna with a ST and I know her prices
Nzingha
I hope it all works out--leaving Saad might be an excellent statement of your opinions.
Re: moving-- just trying to spare poor potentially naked (as per your comment on American Bedu's blog), and potentially boxed in plastic (as per your comments here), Mr. Man some grief. Futile, I now understand !
Oops--premature submission, so to speak. The previous comment was mine. At least your blog doesn't punish me for premature submission by erasing my comment and making me start over (although that is a behavioral therapy kind of outcome)
Chiara- i try not to punish my visitors I do have good news about moving though.. the veiled chef is taking an apartment there too so we will be neighbors. I now have plenty of boys around to bring my groceries from the car when need be. And a place to drop of Umar at 3am when he refuses to go back to sleep
hiii i doo agree that the price increase is outrageous...they shoul dhave a 10 percent cap per year which is standard...however your comment on salaries..they are the highest paid in the area...im a doc and have applied to all the hospitals in the area and so have knowledge that they r the highest paid...that is no justification for the prices...
Thanks for the tip Nanusa, just in case I decide to move beside Nzingha!
I don't do 3AM infants if I can help it, though. I personally think all infants should be delivered with their very own night nurse (and optional wet nurse)--even the especially cute Umar
nanusa- that may be the case for some of the drs. (and yes they do pay better for Saudi drs who aren't paid as good in other hospitals) but all other staff is under paid. A friend of mine and ER nurse and American looked around and found that Saad is one of the lowest payers in the area. I've had other nurses tell me the same thing (just had that complaint from our Maids cousin who works there as well). I know they have paid an arm and a leg for some drs. especially those coming from Aramco (and I would argue that wasn't necessarily the best investment lol) but last I checked the hospital doesn't run on drs alone
Money is why they lost on majority of the south african nurses, and that was sad because some of their first nursing staff was super wonderful. And i must say that many of the replacing nursing staff I could do without. guess you get what you pay for
Their other support staff isn't highly paid either. And they have so many.. I mean have you ever counted the number of cashiers it takes to check out one customer and even that takes forever!!! give the salary of 3 to 1 and they would probably work more efficiently.. and gasp.. even have change instead of running around begging people for change.
Now of course I've seen female foriegn drs get shafted in benefits cmpared to their male counterpart.. but that is a whole other issue.
but either way their increase is insane.. and God willing they'll loose my money
Chiara- and infants do come w/ a night nurse and wet nurses.. their called moms
Oh no! Shafted by Saad and not even an infant's "very own" NON-MOM night nurse/wet nurse, a very poor expat offer indeed
chiara- but there is always the lovely weather of saudi arabia to look forward too
hmmm
current weather here: 0 sunny (a big plus) snow-covered humidity 46%
current weather Jeddah (my naively preferred Saudi destination): 23 clear humidity 74%
current weather Al Khobar 10 wind chill 9 (you call that a wind chill?): humidity 81%
aahh it would definitely depend on the expat package!
This kind of highway robbery happens all over the world. I dont have the money to get my son an offical evaluation from a private sector ABA provider.
I have a friend who I work with who lives with her parents so she can provide ABA for her daughter. The initial consultation and paperwork ran her like $5,000.
Full time ABA therapy, which is ideally what an autistic child needs, runs around $5,000 a month, anywhere from $50,000 to $60,000. Most insurance covers doesnt cover it. So if you are not rich, your child goes without.
How many families have $50,000 a year to spend on medical care out of pocket? Almost none.
This seems to be a problem all over the world.
Chiara- check out the summer conditions and get back to me
Abu Sinan- thing is in Saudi health care services aren't so expensive. Medication, hospital services, even ongoing therapy care is no where in cost what it would be in the states.
But what hosptials in the states make an increase by 4x overnight? And no one can explain why?
Did read two things yesterday that made me think of your family
1. was a site I cam across for a school in Bahrain for children with Autism http://www.childbehavior.org/home.html
2. was an article in Arab News that addressed the need for Autism schools in Saudi http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&
...ategory=Kingdom
hiii yes u are correct maybe the support staff dont get as much..im not sure..im just talking from my job offer experience..however it is terrible to increase prices 4 times..hope u find a good therapist elsewhere.
nanusa- I'll have to ask some drs that work at saad now lol. Their nurse salary is the pits though. I'll be updating on my therapist adventures. Short of kidnaping Umar's therapist has now but they have laws about that and all
Dear Dear Nzingha
Could you please help me arrange a locum (short term position) as an itinerant (I love to travel to remote biladi) psychiatrist (they are so highly valued in Saudi--especially the foreign female ones) for the period of June 1-August 31, 2009 inclusive (I love the heat and dry heat is so much more comfortable than humid heat). I can concoct--I mean propose--a research project and leave of absence for then. Oh, I would need a driver, a translator, and a life support team.
Thank you in advance for your help. I am off to sew a collection of stylish abayas--black with various trims and appliques--in breathable silks and cottons; and to practice my flirty moves with them (my husband won't mind). I will be sure to take time off from sewing to try on some Islamic swim suits.
I am amazed that they think its their right not to inform the public. I mean, the least they can do is try to justify it...lol. You dont have to answer this if you dont want, but what do you think the money is being used for?
chaira- i'm wondering where you go the idea that khobar is 'dry heat' you'll have to go to riyadh for that. We are good and humid on the shore.
saira- some justificaiton would be nice, anything at least than nothing. I have no idea what they are doing w/ the money. I think they are just jacking up the prices because aramco is coming back as a client. The did this once before but not so bad when aramco first went to them visits went from 200sr to 390 sr now it is 4x as much. but back than it lasted all but a month or so than they went back to 200.
Asalam alikom sister..
There's always alot of suspicions about Saad Hospitals...& it's always mentioned that they don't really have patient care as their top periority...
I hope you can find a better place for your boy in sha Allah..
Nzingha--ah, the perils of the internet. It was from a general table on the climate in Saudi. Humid heat, no thank you, had enough of that in Hong Kong; although the evil Saad Hospital in Khobar does at least employ 2 psychiatrists (in the Neurosciences department),and the humidity is good for one's skin and hair. I was thinking more itinerant as I said, like the Costa Rican physician I met who goes from village to village on horseback, by canoe, in a landrover, whatever,(camel caravan?).
wa alaikum salaam ummalbenat- as I stood and paid my small ransom in hospital fees today. One woman told me "Why don't you go talk to al ghossabi for a discount" my response "Why, to beg for a 10% discount? Instead of them offering cash patients in prolonged hospital care packages which they should be doing."
chiara- your free to pack a camel and travel around.. go around the entire GCC on camel back, make sure you have proper papers for your camel though. And yes they have 2 psychs, one guy been there for ages, wears really nice ties. Very friendly and game me a script for vallium during my case of insomnea with ease. Also told me he could get me in for surgery to tie half my stomach so i will loose weight.
Nzingha
Hospital packages are an excellent idea. The private hospitals I am aware of definitely offer them especially for maternity and longterm care.
Wow, a truly charming psychiatrist, with an excellent "chairside" manner, and fast off the prescription pad,and with the referrals--not!. Sounds like the best thing about him are the ties.
Thank you for the heads up about the camel papers--wouldn't want to have my camel caravan impounded.
On a more serious note, and you have probably already thought of this, but would it be worth (in the financial, and justice sense) negociating a comprehensive package for Umar's treatments?
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