As the world comes out of the lockdown and prepares to get vaccinated, hospitals have restarted their OPDs, doctors are meeting patients again and stalled treatments are resuming. IVF centres in the city have started seeing patients returning to them to either complete a delayed procedure or to start their fertility treatment. Infertility treatment is one among the many treatments that was hindered during the pandemic. However, life is slowly getting back on track, with restart of treatments that were left off in the middle.
As per Dr Diganta Deka, from Pratiksha Hospital in Guwahati, the IVF centres in the region are seeing more than 50% of their original patient flow, visiting for treatment. In the light of Covid19 and the importance of ensuring safety, a range of protocols are being followed by these IVF centres. There has been a reduction in the patient waiting time as consultations are only on appointment-basis. Some queries are also being solved through tele-consulting, minimizing physical meetings for matters that can be solved digitally. Certain protocols like thermal checks, sanitizing and masking have been made compulsory. More patients are expected to return for treatments in the coming months, as inter-state/district and international travel normalizes, as a large number of patients also travel from nearby cities and towns to seek fertility treatment in the specialized centres situated in Guwahati.
