Plastic surgeons are known as among the cleanest of medical practitioners. Since they always handle implants and other materials placed into the body, decontamination is an everyday practice to avoid infection and disease.
That necessity has been magnified during the current coronavirus pandemic, which has shut down doctors’ clinics worldwide.
How has Dr. Eric Yapjuangco, “Doc Yappy” to his clients and friends, managed to navigate the waters despite the raging COVID-19 epidemic?
“We have extended our decontamination procedures to outside our clinics,” Yapjuangco shared in a recent video interview with select journalists. “We’ve used this process in both our clinics, using UV (ultraviolet) lights and hospital-grade disinfectants for instance.”
All staff of The Icon Clinic, which has both a plastic surgery center and an aesthetic dermatology center managed by Doc Yappy’s wife Vina Yapjuangco, are required to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) at work.
They have all been tested for the coronavirus and are strictly ordered to stay home if they show any symptoms of COVID-19, as he allowed most to go on vacation leave or work from home as their roles allowed, the surgeon assured.
The Icon Clinic’s frontliners wear waterproof PPEs, as COVID-19 is transferred by droplets, Dr. Yapjuangco explained. “We make it a point to wash and sterilize PPEs daily. We just can’t use disposable PPEs made of plastic, because they’re very hot and uncomfortable,” he added.
To underscore how strict the practice is with keeping clean, Doc Yappy revealed that 20 to 30 percent of their operating expenses now goes into decontamination gear and supplies. “We are strict with sterility, even though it is more costly. We cannot take any chances,” he said.
“Since we have an OR (operating room), we are used to that (disinfection procedures). We ensure there is no bacteria in the OR, but now we do it outside (the OR) now, and we’ve even installed hepatitis (virus) filters in our clinics,” Doc Yappy explained.
On the patient side, Dr. Yapjuangco said they follow government guidelines to the letter. This includes requiring all patients to be negative of COVID-19 after a nasal swab test at least five days before their scheduled surgery or procedure.
He revealed that one recent patient, who was due for breast augmentation, had tested positive for coronavirus and could only return to Icon once she had a negative PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test.
Before that, however, Doc Yappy offers virtual consultations, free of charge, through video calls with clients for The Icon Clinic’s procedures – including their signature rhinoplasty or nose lift and Brazilian butt lift but also tummy tucks and other procedures.
When the COVID-19-induced lockdowns started around March 17, Dr. Yapjuangco said he did not perform any surgeries, merely doing consultations twice a week with his scheduled patients, most of whom are foreigners, overseas Filipino workers, or “balikbayan” who prefer Doc Yappy’s expertise.
The Icon Clinic only resumed surgical procedures once government relaxed the lockdown to a general community quarantine (GCQ) on June 1, the doctor said, allowing them to do half of the number of procedures that they do a day compared to pre-covid days.
“Like most businesses, we are not back to 100 percent,” Dr. Yapjuangco said. “We have about 25 workers, but we run on a skeleton crew every other day. We have halved our OR nurses and some administrative staff are on a work from home arrangement.”
The curfew under the quarantine is another consideration, Doc Yappy said. While the clinic can now do all the procedures they offer, “we try to limit them so we can finish at around 6 to 8 p.m., since the curfew is at 10 p.m. We also shuttle all our staff home. Although there is a house near our clinic for them, there is no safe distance when you are commuting (on public transport).”
Dr. Yapjuangco has extended this concern to other health workers through The Icon Clinic’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) work. When the government declared an enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), Doc Yappy and his friends in business helped purchase and distribute PPEs and face masks for frontliners in smaller hospitals and local COVID-19 quarantine centers, he said.
“We still donate these, they only have to get in touch with us,” said Doc Yappy, who revealed they recently sent a batch of PPEs to hospitals in Cavite province.
Although most people have been scared to venture outside their homes owning to the coronavirus, The Icon Clinic has not lost many clients, with some pledging to come back next year when the situation improves. “Thankfully, a lot of patients still want to get their procedures done,” Dr. Yapjuangco said.
A pleasant development for The Icon Clinic is the brisk sales of their beauty products, which they have started selling online. The retail winners so far have been their face wash line and their retinoid serum, used for anti-aging treatments, the doctor said.
Going forward, Doc Yappy said he does not see medical businesses going back to normal until a vaccine for the coronavirus is found. “A lot of people don’t want to leave their houses. Although the situation may be getting better, it is still up to people to be cautious, and that means physical distancing, wearing face masks, and disinfection,” he said.
As for The Icon Clinic, Dr. Yapjuangco is taking it one day at a time. “The situation is not perfect, but we will still aim to expand and invest where we can. The goal is to survive, and I am thankful we still get patients, a mix of returning (clients) and new,” he said. Meanwhile, Doc Yappy promised to keep his clinics clean – on the inside and out.
The Icon Clinic is located at Unit G3 BTTC Centre 288 Ortigas Avenue corner Roosevelt St., Greenhills, San Juan City