Are you curious about the measures we’re taking to ensure your safety and peace of mind when you return to our clinics? Earlier today at 9 AM, Dr. Vicki Belo went live on CNN Philippines’ The Source (hosted by Pinky Webb) to discuss best practices that Belo Medical Group is following for the safe reopening of our clinics. Recently, Dr. Belo collaborated with 9 global experts to achieve a consensus for safety protocols that aesthetic clinics should abide by to keep patients and staff safe. This paper was published in the prestigious international journal Dermatologic Therapy. She’s the only doctor from the Philippines who co-authored this study, which you can now read for free here. 

Of course, it’s always more fun to hear it from Dr. Belo herself, so here are some highlights from her appearance on CNN!

1. One of the paper’s goals was to minimize interaction time between doctors and patients.

First, Dr. Belo talked a little about how the study came about. “We were 10 doctors, we met through Zoom. We have people from the UK, USA, Australia, Sweden, Norway, the Philippines, India, and South Africa. When 70% of us agreed on a certain protocol, then it would be implemented. But we really wanted to protect both the patients and the doctors [and staff] from transmission of the coronavirus,” Dr. Belo explains. “We are trying to minimize the amount of time that the doctor interacts with the patient.” 

For the safety of patients, walk-in appointments will no longer be permitted. All patients will be asked about their travel history, occupation (also those of their immediate family), potential exposure to COVID-19 patients, and other pertinent information. We’ll also be sending you an Aesthetic Interest Questionnaire (AIQ) prior to your appointment, so that our doctors already have a clear idea of what treatments would be best for you. The less time spent in close contact with one another, the better—and the faster we can move you along to the treatment proper!

2. As we await our reopening, we’re preparing every possible measure to keep you safe.

Aside from the standard PPE suits, “[our staff will be in an] N95 mask, and then you have goggles, and then you have to have a face shield,” Dr. Belo explains. We also have multiple safety measures in place for our patients: 

• Patients will be asked to accomplish a COVID-19 screening (to be sent during booking confirmation) prior to arrival at the clinic.
• “The patients are asked to do a foot bath, and of course, social distancing is very important. The chairs are permanently apart by two meters, the receptionists will be far from you.” 
• Alcohol and hand soap will be readily available at multiple touch points throughout the clinic. 
• Patients will also be asked to bring their own water bottles, as glasses will no longer be available at our refreshment stations for hygienic purposes. 
• DFS-equipped Air Intellipure systems will be installed in every room and common area. These systems are 40 times more efficient than a HEPA filter, and these same machines have been used in COVID hospitals in Wuhan, China. It captures and zaps 99.99% of all particulate matter, bacteria, and viruses.
• On the treatment bed, a clear acrylic barrier will separate you from your doctor or aesthetician to prevent further cross-contamination.
• 30 minutes will be allotted between the use of treatment rooms to allow for a thorough cleaning and disinfection before a new patient comes in to use the room. A team of 3-4 staff members will be assigned specifically for this purpose. 
• We’ve also widened our options for contactless payment: we now accept GCash, Alipay, WeChat, PayPal, bank-to-bank online payments, and (soon) PayMaya! No need to hand cash or cards over to anyone else. 

“We’ve been doing dry runs in our clinics, and it’s sad that there’s not much human contact, but the times call for this,” says Dr. Belo. While we’re still under MECQ, we will be implementing even more measures to keep you safe, so stay tuned!

3. We’re training our doctors and staff so they can continue to provide excellent service in spite of “the new normal.”

We are currently in the process of training our doctors and staff so that they can perform their duties while being mindful of all these changes. “We have divided our procedures into low-risk, medium-risk, and high-risk…right now, all of our staff are going through Belo University. They’re getting trained, not only in procedures, but also how to deal with patients,” says Dr. Belo. Rest assured that when you reenter our clinics, our staff will be equipped to answer to your needs safely and efficiently

We can’t wait to have you all back, but in the meantime, we’re doing everything to make your Belo experience a safe one. We hope to see you again soon!