American mother finally given baby's birth certificate after Hong Kong hospital bill dispute
New mother Wendy Morrow has finally received a birth certificate for her 10-day-old son, a day after public hospital chiefs backed down over an estimated HK$100,000 bill charged to the American tourist for her emergency delivery in the city.
Princess Margaret Hospital in Kwai Chung had earlier objected to the release of her son’s registration document unless she settled the amount, made hefty by the premature baby’s urgent care in a special ward.
Morrow, 37, has yet to pay up as she is expecting insurance from the air ticket and donations from well-wishers to cover the bill.
Despite the dispute, she praised the care and attention nursing staff had given to her son.
“[Now] this paperwork is through, I want to push to get a nurse on board the plane and get him home to America,” she said.
READ MORE: Hospital relents in dispute over American mother's HK$100,000 bill for premature baby
“We appreciate what the nurses and doctors have done for him, and that Hong Kong has welcomed us with open arms; however, our issue is withholding the birth certificate.”
Kyuss Morrow-Blau was born eight weeks premature while his mother was transiting in Hong Kong on her way to Xiamen, Fujian.
Her waters broke at Chek Lap Kok airport and she was taken to hospital in the evening of May 6. She gave birth the following day, but little Kyuss was just 1.8kg, had a breathing problem known as apnea and needed feeding tubes.
Public hospitals need to report deliveries to the Birth Registry of the Immigration Department within 35 days.
A spokeswoman for Princess Margaret Hospital insisted public hospitals had the duty to collect fees from patients and safeguard the “appropriate” use of public money.
“To encourage parents to settle the hospital bills as soon as possible, if parents promptly settle all their hospital fees, priority will be given in sending their babies’ birth information to the Birth Registry,” she added.
