Cape Town Woman Breaks Down Cost of Giving Birth at Private Hospital, Shares What She Paid
- A Cape Town woman took to TikTok to share a detailed breakdown of what it cost her to give birth at a private hospital, sparking major online interest
- The mom revealed how much her medical aid covered versus what she personally paid, providing insight into the real costs of private maternity care
- Her honest video opened up a conversation among Mzansi parents, with many sharing their own childbirth experiences and views on medical aid
A woman in Cape Town has sparked interest online after sharing a detailed breakdown of the costs she incurred while giving birth at a private hospital.
Source: TikTok
The woman took to her TikTok account under the handle @blaqq, shared how she had delivered her baby two months ago at Life Kingsbury Hospital.
@blaqq explained in a video that she is on Discovery Medical Aid, which covered the majority of her maternity expenses.
According to her, the total cost of her delivery and hospital stay amounted to R73,469.72, of which Discovery paid R70,854.22, leaving her with an out-of-pocket payment of R2,615.50. She clarified that while Discovery deposited R19 200 into her account, the amount was meant for healthcare professionals and was paid out immediately.
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"Oh, the R70,000, R51,600 was paid directly to the hospital and the healthcare professionals, and then R19,200 was paid to me, which I then had to pay to the healthcare professional, so I did not get this money; it did come into my bank account, but it went out immediately," she explained.
She went on to give a thorough cost breakdown, revealing that her gynaecologist received R10 570,62, while Dr H. E. Potgieter was paid R10 042,68 and an additional R9 162,22 for her services. The hospital itself received R38 215, and the pathologists collectively earned around R400.
She added that her paediatrician received R2 825,30, with each follow-up check-up costing R675.20 during her four-day stay.
However, @blaqq mentioned that her paediatrician was out of Discovery’s network, meaning the medical aid only covered R1 302,10, and she had to pay the remaining R1 005 out of pocket.
The TikTok user @blaqq also revealed that she delivered her baby via C-section and was given an epidural. While taking to her TikTok caption, content creator @blaqq called out the high cost of giving birth by saying:
"Giving birth privately shouldn’t be this expensive, but it is… highly recommend being on a medical aid before giving birth."
Her transparency about private hospital maternity costs has drawn attention online since it was posted on 31 October 2025 on TikTok, with many parents commending her for shedding light on the real costs of giving birth in Mzansi’s private healthcare system.
Source: TikTok
SA shares their own birth journey
People took to the comments section to share their thoughts on the private healthcare system, while some shared their own birth journeys.
Kefiloe Thasimbi said:
"The importance of medical aid!! 😭."
Mrs L added:
"I gave birth through elective c-section 5 months ago and it cost just over a R100k... Bankmed covered everything. Pregnancy will make you respect medical aid."
Miss Carrie replied:
"I gave birth at a public hospital, I got the best service ever, the Indian lady was so sweet."
T commented:
"Let me drink my pill.😭👍🏻."
Watch the video below:
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Source: Briefly News
