Monday 14 December 2015

Klinik Kesihatan Ibu & Anak (KKIA) - My Frugal Epiphany!

I first found out about our Klinik Kesihatan Ibu & Anak (KKIA) from another Mummy when we attended Ante Natal classes together when I was pregnant with Chapati. Both hubby and I thoroughly enjoyed the Ante Natal classes by Jenlia as we learnt some very practical things about pregnancy, childbirth and babies. I would really recommend that all first time parents attend Ante Natal classes to better prepare themselves. Plus you make some very good friends and pick up ideas and sharing about family and children. We are still good friends with a couple that we met there and our sons go to Baby Sensory Classes together and now that they are toddlers, attend Toddler Sense classes.  But I am digressing...

Klinik Kesihatan Ibu & Anak (KKIA), roughly translated to English is Mother & Child Healthcare Clinic. This is public healthcare fully funded by the governement of Malaysia for pregnant mothers, babies and children until they become 6 years old. We didn't really take it seriously then and only registered Chapati when he was about nearly 1 month old, just in time for his immunisations.

On the whole I think that a lot of people are not really aware of this healthcare service, because I know that I wasn't until I spoke to quite a few new parents and even then, the information was sketchy. So here I am outlining the "how to" and my experience in receiving pretty good healthcare for both pregnant mothers and babies without spending any money! (Ok nearly no money...I remember paying RM1 for something.)

It is of course best to start when you first find out that you are pregnant and they can then care for you right up till birth and then continue the follow up when your baby is born until he/she is 6 years old. I am doing that now with Baby #2 though I registered with them a little late at 27 weeks.

How To Get Registered  

I think most difficult part is finding out which clinic that you need to go to because it depends on your home address. You can only register if your home address is within their coverage area. I remember when I first started to look for a list of the KKIA locations, it was a little confusing. I finally typed "klinik kesihatan ibu & anak kuala lumpur" and one of this link was this http://jknkl.moh.gov.my/klinik-kkia  so this lists the clinics in Wilayah Persekutuan KL and Putrajaya area. I figured that my address was KL so it would make sense to look for KL based clinics. I continued to look and came across another link which was http://www2.moh.gov.my/gov_clinics?offset=2796

Honestly, I couldn't really find a comprehensive site that helped to determine exactly where I was supposed to go and register. So I decided to just go to the nearest one to my home and try my luck. When I got there I was told that my home address was not within their coverage area and they helped me to locate the correct clinic location which not that far from my home which is good! They also gave me the list of things that I needed to bring to register Chapati which is as follows:-

  1. Baby birth certificate
  2. Utility Bill (electricity, water or telephone to verify you home address location)
  3. Parent's IC
  4. Baby book from the hospital that he was born in to confirm any immunisations that had been given

I quickly gathered all my required documents and went straight there to register. I must say that my experience with the nurses there was the biggest surprise. They were happy, pleasant and extremely helpful??? They even seem to genuinely enjoy their jobs. Maybe it has to do with the fact that they are dealing with babies, children and pregnant mummies, all the cuteness probably helps a lot.

Once I was registered, they gave me an appointment to bring him in for his first check up and immunisation. They also gave me a baby book to track everything about him which I will have to bring for every appointment.






Our Experience with the Clinic

When we went for our first check up, the nurse spent about 30 minutes speaking to me, asking me about how I was coping with breastfeeding and sharing important information like what to eat and what to do. She also explained that if we had registered when Chapati was born, they would have also done home visits to check on the mother and baby especially to make sure that baby was not jaundiced.

I think I spent about RM 900 for about 6 visits from the private mid-wife as I had breast feeding troubles with Chapati being a first time Mum. Engorgement, mastitis, bad latch and at one time his refusal to take to the breast. I could have saved a lot of money...maybe? But having the midwife really helped me to overcome all those issues and continue to breastfeed Chapati for 16 months! Otherwise I think that I might have stopped much earlier.

During our first 3 check ups, they examined both Chapati and me. They also monitored my vaginal wound to ensure that it was healing well and my overall well being.

All of Chapati's compulsory immunisations were FREE! (Now isn't that music to you ears?) On top of that they also check on his development and milestones. One of the milestones that he missed was when he was 18 months old and still wouldn't talk. It prompted us to get some help and we were also referred to HUKM to see a specialist to check and make sure that there was nothing wrong with him overall. I wrote about it sometime ago here and an update here about him not speaking. Other than that, we can also see the clinic doctor if he was unwell and they will prescribe the necessary medications for FREE!


My Pregnancy with Baby #2

This pregnancy is vastly different from my pregnancy with Chapati. From horrible, horrible morning sickness, to round ligament pain, to sacroiliac joint pain, painful muscle cramps...we thought that it would be wise to register myself for care at the KKIA just in case things turn out differently and I might need to go to a government hospital.

So if you are pregnant and want to register, you will need the following documents:-
  1. Utility Bill (electricity, water or telephone to verify your home address)
  2. Photocopy of marriage certificate
  3. Photocopy of hubby's IC
  4. Confirmation of pregnancy - normally an ultrasound scan
When I registered, I was already 27 weeks so there wasn't any doubt that I was pregnant! :)  But I still gave them the ultrasound pictures that I had from my appointments with other doctors.

They did ask us where we were looking to deliver the baby and the impression that they gave us was if we were looking to give birth in a private hospital, they would not open a file for me as they would prefer for me to go back to the private hospital and follow up with the doctor there. Anyway, we were still unsure, so we told them that possibly we would like to go to Putrajaya Hospital. This hospital also has a Full Paying Patient (FPP) scheme. Another friend shared with us that they only spent RM 1800 for facilities and care like a private hospital under the FPP scheme at Putrajaya Hospital. That is a big difference considering that we spent RM 7800 for Chapati's all natural birth with no epidural in Prince Court Hospital.

You also get a red mummy book to track all your appointments, medical history and other useful information. You have to carry your book everywhere with you in case something happens and from 27 weeks onwards, you are also suppose to count your baby's movements throughout the day and record it daily. Anything less than 10 movements in 12 hours warrants a visit to the emergency room.



Pregnancy multivitamins are also free, you get folic acid, vitamin B and Obimin from them. On top of that, urine tests, blood tests, glucose tolerance test and medicine if you get sick (cough, flu..etc.) are also free. I was also given a tetanus jab during my check up and it was also FREE! (I paid RM 30 for my first tetanus jab)

Now that I have to go for appointment every two weeks, going to the KKIA for follow up will save me at least RM 240 for the next months. Bearing in mind that I believe from mid January onwards, it is going to be a weekly affair so the savings would be at least in the region of RM 360 for 3 weekly appointments until the arrival or Baby #2!

Have you discovered KKIA and their services yet? I would love to hear about your experience!

17 comments:

  1. hi...me again :) yes I am registered at KKIA Cheras (near to HUKM)...registered myself at 12 weeks. next appt 31st Dec! the experience was nice, waiting time was more or less the same to meet Dr. Tan lol...(Dr. Tan was 1.5 hrs or so), KKIA was about 2.5 hrs? (in between going for tests and all)

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    1. Hey hi! Good to see you again! Wah, you so nearby! I am going to the KKIA Cheras Makmur. It is nearby Pantai Hospital.Yup, that is my experience too. Oh and by the way, if you make the 8 am appointment and get there early, the waiting time drops to about 1.5 hours or so. Alternatively, I find that you go later, nearer to lunch time, the waiting time drops too. :) My next appt. is 30th Dec! I hope all is going well with the pregnancy!

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  2. Great post. I am just planning to accompany my wife to KKIA for the red booklet. Question: do we need to do all checkups at KKIA to be eligible for FPP? Or can we just use checkup records from private clinics?

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    1. Hi there Joel, thanks for you comment. My apologies for the late reply as I have recently delivered my baby last week. Actually if you are going for FPP, I don't think you even need to register at KKIA. I believe that FPP is exactly like private. Also FPP is only available in certain hospitals. Not all hospitals have FPP available.

      But yes, best to check with you FPP doctor/KKIA in your location to confirm this.

      I believe that the red booklet is good because it keeps all the necessary information on your wife and the pregnancy in one place. In my experience the private clinics that I went to for both my pregnancies didn't even have a mummy book for you like what KKIA does.

      When is your wife due? Do keep in touch and all the best to the both of you!

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  3. hi there... my experience with KKIA was great.was referred to Sg BUloh Hosp whn my baby had prolonged jaundiced at day 13. the service at SBH is great too... and there's FFP there as well. just implemented. FYI.

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    1. Hi! Thank you for dropping by and sharing your experience. Yeah wonderful right? The best part is that everything is free! How is your baby now? I hope that everything is well. Thanks for the update that Sungai Buloh Hospital does FPP too. I hope my blog has been helpful, do keep in touch! My email address is themummynotebook@gmail.com! Have a great week ahead and a good break for the upcoming Hari Raya!

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  4. Hi there, I was told by the KK Nurse who did home visit today that I should take my DD to run a jaundice test before giving her 1 month Hep B vaccination as she is still a little yellowish at Day 15 (FYI - she's a breastfed baby).

    Do you know if it's possible to switch to other Klinik Kesihatan? I'm registered under KK Seri Kembangan but my prior experience on the waiting time and service is just too bad...

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    1. Hi there! Thanks for dropping by my little space here and thanks for leaving me a comment.

      I am a little hesitant to say yes or no but, there are two different things here. Klinik Kesihatan and Klinik Kesihatan Ibu & Anak. Klinik Kesihatan, I believe anyone can go but I am assuming that you are asking about KKIA right? Generally, the only way that you can change KKIA without a fight is if you provide them with proof of address within the coverage of that particular KKIA that you want to change to. I have only ever heard of someone who initially went to KKIA A because of where she stayed and when she moved houses, she was then assigned to KKIA B. However she requested to remain in KKIA A because she had her two previous children and also her family planning done there so they were lenient enough to allow her to remain there for her 3rd child.

      It may be difficult to ask them to change you to another KKIA merely based on waiting time and service. I believe that all other KKIA is pretty much the same in terms of waiting time. For service, I can only share that it is important for you as a Mum/Dad to ask and be assertive about your child's healthcare. Ask nicely and repeatedly though, no point getting all angry or kan-cheong about it. There will always be a few bad apples everywhere you go. You can read about my recent experience that I had in the KKIA that I go to, which was a learning for me and also a reminder that we as parents are to be more vigilant as we are responsible for our children's health. We cannot put the burden on the health care providers. (They have hundreds if not thousands of patients to care for. Blame the horrible healthcare budget if anything....)

      http://themummynotebook.blogspot.my/2016/08/klinik-kesihatan-ibu-anak-maternal.html

      Good luck and I hope your little one gets well soonest! Do connect with my at themummynotebook@gmail.com if there is anything else at all that you will like me to share. Looking forward to seeing you again in my little space!

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    2. Hi, unless you can get someone else's electrical bills etc etc to show them that you move to another area if not you will have to go to the klinik that cover your area.

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  5. Hi mummies,

    I am a first time mother here currently at 12 weeks. Hmm may I know what does it mean by FFP that you all are referring to? And as for putrajaya, I have friends telling me that they only accept patient around that area, is that true? I am staying at Taman Connaught btw and which KKIA is within my coverage?

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  6. Hi Ning Xin,

    Congratulations on your pregnancy! Exciting times ahead of you! To answer your questions:-

    1) FPP stands for FULL PAYING PATIENT
    Essentially it is private healthcare offered in a government hospital like Putrajaya. It is only available in certain governement hospitals. I believe that Hospital Serdang also has this service. You can read about the Putrajaya one through this link http://www.hpj.gov.my/portalv11/index.php/en/full-paying-patient-fpp

    2) As for your second question, if you are interested in their FPP services then no, where you stay does not matter. You just need to go there and register as a FPP patient. If you are interested in their government services then yes, generally they will prioritise those that stay in the area. However, you can stil go and register though it may not be as easy and they will usually redirect you to the hospital nearest to you. Anyway, you really don't want to be too far away from the hospital when in labour believe me! :)

    You can read about my doctor visits in my postings and some sharing

    http://themummynotebook.blogspot.my/2015/12/4th-consultation-appt-with-obstetrician.html

    http://themummynotebook.blogspot.my/2016/03/february-2016-expenditures-and-baby.html

    3) Hey you live pretty close to me! I live in Alam Damai. I would suggest that you go to the KKIA that I go to which is Cheras Makmur, bring your utility bill and other documents stated in my post to check and if correct register straightaway and get an appointment there. I can't say for certain if it will be the right KKIA as they look at your full address. So best to go to any KKIA nearby and they will help you to find the correct one. That is what I did anyway. It was a trial and error exercise because our MOH is not exactly very forthcoming with the processes and procedures to register for KKIA. It took at lot of asking and searching the internet for information.

    Thank for dropping by my little space and do connect with me at themummynotebook@gmail.com if you need any other help or some sharing. We are nearby too ya so coffee also can! :) Good luck and enjoy this time of your pregnancy before your bundle of joy arrives! Looking forward to seeing you here again soon!

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  7. Hi, I am staying at Kota Damansara but I couldn't found any KKIA within the area. Anyone here know about it? Thank you so much!

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    1. Hi there, thank you for dropping by my little space here and connecting with me.

      I can understand your challenge because when I first decided to go to KKIA, I was looking through the internet for days on end trying to figure out how the system works. Honestly I don't know why they don't make it easier for people to know about the KKIA because it is such a wonderful thing.

      But that is why I am doing this to help other mums and dads find out about KKIA and also be a platform for others to share about their experiences and hopefully make life easier for everyone else.

      There is a directory on our Ministry of Health website. This is the url http://www.moh.gov.my/index.php/database_stores/store_view/1

      My suggestion is look in the Selangor section, there should be an address for the clinic. As I mentioned in my blog post you may not know exactly which clinic your area is under. Just find the closest one and bring one of your utility bills with you and they will direct you to the correct one if that one does not cover your area.

      The other way is, just look for a phone number of any of the Klinik Kesihatan Ibu dan Anak and call them. Mind you try not to call first thing in the morning as they are usually packed to the brim with people and the nurses don't have time to answer the phone. Best to call just before 12 pm or at 2 pm.

      When are you due? All the best to you and do connect with me on themummynotebook@gmail.com!

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  8. This mean i need to get conformation of pregnancy at a local clinic before going to KKIA to open the red/pink book?

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  9. Hello was reading through your blog. I just found out that I am pregnant few days ago. And it is my first pregnancy. I am kinda lost with all this things. I am planning to deliver in hospital Putrajaya. But I am wonder for now since I am only 4 weeks along. Should I go to private clinic or straight away go kk?

    Really need some advice. My email is irgowenly@gmail.com

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    1. Hi Rissy! Congratulations! So happy for you. Thank you for dropping by my little space. Yup with the first one there will be a lot of things to think about! Relax and slowly take one step at the time. I will send you an email shortly and we can connect. You can also connect with me directly at themummynotebook@gmail.com.

      Take care and chat soon!

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  10. Hi there..
    My wife just found out about her pregnancy via home pregnancy test. (It's our first)

    To sign up at KKIA, should she do a confirmation test at a clinic first or can she test at KKIA?

    Thanks !!

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