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If you live in Macedonia, you’ll know that some of the most popular private hospitals are located in the capital, Skopje. They include Sistina, Sante Plus, and Zan Mitrev. In other cities though, Plodnost Hospital which is located in Bitola, stands out the most. In this post, I’ll share my birth experience in Plodnost.
What Is Plodnost?
Plodnost is a private hospital specializing in obstetrics, gynecology, and pediatrics. It’s renowned for its modern facilities, expert medical staff, and comprehensive care for mothers and newborns. Beyond childbirth, Plodnost offers a range of gynecological services and pediatric care.
Where Is Plodnost?
Plodnost Hospital is located in Bitola, Macedonia, a city in the southern part of the country.
Giving Birth at Plodnost
From this section, I will share my entire birth experience in Plodnost based on factors such as pricing, cleanliness, expertise and friendliness of the staff. I will also share some of the areas which, in my opinion, can improve the overall experience of birthing moms in Plodnost.
Pricing (9/10)
Compared to the bigger hospitals in Skopje, Plodnost’s maternity packages offer better value in terms of what you get.
| Sistina | Zan Mitrev | Plodnost | |
| Price of Vaginal Delivery | MKD 134,000 | MKD 95,000 | MKD 95,000 |
| Price of C-section | MKD 169,000 | MKD 130,000 | MKD 130,000 |
Among the three hospitals, Abicedem Sistina’s vaginal and c-section delivery packages are the most expensive costing MKD 134,000 & MKD 169,000, respectively. These prices already include spinal or epidural anesthesia, 3-4 days in a double-bed room, preoperative admission (after 6PM), and laboratory analyses for the pregnant woman.
Zan Mitrev follows the lead of high expenses but with a better list of benefits included in the price. With Zan Mitrev, the price of vaginal delivery starts at MKD 95,000 and the c-section delivery costs MKD 130,000. The price includes 3-4 days stay in a single room, spinal or epidural anesthesia, laboratory preparatory work, and free obstetric examinations after 36 weeks of pregnancy.
Zan Mitrev’s maternity package also adds a special benefit of educational materials for safe pregnancy, antenatal, and postpartum care, free gynecological check up for the new mother (6 weeks after delivery), and 10% discount on various other services in the hospital.
Plodnost’s maternity packages are the least expensive, in my opinion, as it also offers the most value. The packages include 4-5 days stay in a double room, spinal or epidural Anesthesia, laboratory work, and preoperative admission (after 6PM). All of which costs MKD 95,000 for vaginal delivery and MKD 130,000 for cesarean section. This pricing, unfortunately doesn’t come with free check-ups after 36 weeks, any educational materials, neonatal consultations or discounts on other hospital services.
Cleanliness (10/10)
As someone with very high standards in cleanliness (to give more context: I’m one of those who need to disinfect tables, chairs, toilet bowls, remote controls, etc. with rubbing alcohol in public spaces and in hotels before using them), I can confidently say that Plodnost is probably one of the cleanest hospitals I’ve been to in my life.
The hospital was established sometime in 2011 which makes it only about 14 years old right now. Despite it being the only private maternity hospital in the city (as well as in the cities beside it), it managed to maintain very high standards of cleanliness. Here are some photos I took when I gave birth in 2022 and most recently March 2025:
Plodnost recently expanded its facilities to accommodate more patients and here are some of the photos of their new maternity ward (I was lucky to be transferred in the new room, although I didn’t really mind the old ones):
The bathrooms are equipped with all the necessary toiletries.
The photos speak for themselves, but I’d have to emphasize that when I entered my room, I did NOT see any hair strands on the floor, stains on the sheets, marks on the tables and on the tiles of the bathroom. The room is equipped with everything you’ll need for your stay, and they provide you with fresh towels and bedsheets everyday as well.
My Birth Experience in Plodnost (7/10)
The good experience starts with the expertise and friendliness of the doctors, nurses, and the staff. Since Macedonia’s culture is generally very warm, you can expect a very friendly approach with the way everyone talks to you.
If you choose Plodnost as the place to deliver your baby, the only thing you need to bring is yourself, your phone, and your charger. Otherwise, the hospital supplies everything else: meals, pajamas, slippers, mesh undergarments, and toiletries.
While my overall birth experience in Plodnost was positive, I found certain policies restrictive since the hospital does not consider the parents’ birth wishlist.
During both of my cesarean deliveries, my husband was not allowed in the operating room, and immediate skin-to-skin contact was not permitted after the baby was delivered. The nurses took a quick photo of my baby and me together, but quickly moved the baby to the nursery. After surgery, my husband was only allowed to see the baby through a glass window, with physical contact restricted until my discharge, which is typically five days post-operation.
Immediately following the C-section, you’ll be monitored in the ICU for 24 hours. You’ll only be allowed minimal contact (around 5 minutes) with your newborn there. Upon your transfer to the maternity room, Plodnost nurses can bring your baby to your bedside any time you want. The nurses are the ones who’ll handle your baby – from bathing to feeding from first to the last day of your stay.
Plodnost also has a designated visitation area where family members can visit every day from 3-5pm. As a postpartum mom recovering from surgery, these restrictions felt disappointing and only made the entire experience emotionally difficult.
The most alarming part of my experience was that my doctor failed to diagnose my placenta previa during my first pregnancy. This oversight put both my baby and me at risk, adding unnecessary stress and uncertainty to an already challenging time.
Final Thoughts
Plodnost is impressive when it comes to cleanliness, friendliness of the staff, and the value you get for the money. However, to make the service and entire experience even more appealing, I think they should consider the parents’ birth wishlist and a written schedule so that birthing moms know what to expect every hour or every day.
Overall, I am happy with my entire birth experience in Plodnost. Their friendly approach plus the value you get — which can be significantly more expensive in other European countries — is really good. In some aspects, it could even compare to Korea’s postpartum wellness centers. However that doesn’t mean Plodnost didn’t flunk on other areas. The hospital still fell short on key areas such as the expertise and professionalism of certain doctors and staff, as well as their lack of consideration for parents’ birthing preferences.
What do you think of my birth experience in Plodnost? Do you think it is worth it or not? How does it compare to your country’s private hospital birthing package? Let me know in the comments! Thank you for reading!
