S'pore host Lee Teng & wife spent about S$95,000 on hospital fees for rainbow baby

A month after welcoming their rainbow baby, Singapore-based host Lee Teng, 41, and his wife, Gina Lin, said that they spent about S$95,000 on hospital bills when Lin gave birth.

In a YouTube video posted on Sep. 12, the couple broke down the cost components involved in the birth of their first child, explaining that the considerably higher cost was because Lin underwent an emergency C-section, opted for an A-class ward at a private hospital, and their baby spent some time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

Emergency C-section

"Basically there's the doctor's surgery fee, the anaesthesiologist's fee, and of course there are other doctor's fees," Lee said of the medical bills.

Lin was first admitted to the hospital in the hopes of waiting out the birth, but the doctor told them to be prepared in case she had to go through an emergency C-section the next day.

An emergency C-section happens "when it's not on your due date, the doctor tells you that you need to go into labour right away and then they book an operating room," Lee explained, adding that the last-minute surgery added to the cost.

A-class ward

While most C-section births amount to a total of four days and three nights of hospital stay, Lin was warded for five days and four nights.

"The room fee is one thing, but if you use other things like the monitoring equipment or anything, those are added to that," he added.

As Lin had stayed in an A-class ward at a private hospital, the fees raked up about S$700 per night.

This included a room-in space for Lee, a private bathroom, air conditioning, entertainment and five meals of "very good food", including lobster options, the couple said.

Their stay, alongside the medical bills, added up to a total of about S$30,000.

NICU

As the couple's baby was born prematurely, the newborn was admitted to the NICU in the first few days of being born.

This added another S$65,000 to the total bill, Lin said, bringing the total cost of the birth to more that S$95,000.

The fees were partially subsidised with Lee's Medisave and Medishield Life savings, which reduced the bill by about 16 per cent.

The amount would be significantly lower if one was warded in a public hospital, Lee said and added that it's a matter of personal choice.

Prioritising a safe birth

When asked if they would opt for the same choices in a future birth, both Lee and Lin appeared to unanimously agree that they would.

"My ultimate goal and focus was my baby's health and a safe birth. I didn't think much about anything else," Lin said.

"I would still prioritise [having our obstetrician]," Lee added, "Our doctor is in that hospital, so it would be more reassuring to stay with them."

"I think safety and health are the most important things."

Top images via Lee Teng/YouTube & Lee Teng/Instagram