If you have plastic surgery scheduled for the coming months or were planning to undergo a procedure, you’ll no doubt have questions about the current situation with COVID-19.
Ocean Clinic has been in contact with patients and prospective patients over the last few weeks responding to their concerns. We’ve compiled the most commonly asked questions, along with answers from Ocean Clinic’s Head Surgeon Dr. Kai O. Kaye.
This is the latest information we have. Since the situation is evolving all the time, we will update this article as more information becomes available.
- When will I be able to schedule surgery?
We don’t know an exact day yet, as it depends on the end of the state of emergency in Spain. As soon as this is declared we will start re-booking postponed surgeries and scheduling in new patients. - Will there be a long waiting list for surgery once clinics are open again?
Most probably, as we already have a waiting list and are still doing consultations by Skype. New slots will be given in order of bookings, so we recommend our patients to prebook their dates in advance. - Is it possible to have a consultation at the moment?
Yes, we are currently offering consultations by appointment via Skype or Zoom. If you would like to arrange a consultation with one of our surgeons, please contact our reception by mail or phone. - Are there any procedures that can still take place, such as reconstructive surgery?
We are physically closed for elective surgery at the moment, only emergency surgical treatments will be performed to minimise risks for patients and staff. - What happens if I book surgery for a future date but it's unable to take place?
You can prebook your surgery at no cost at the moment. Closer to the date of your surgery (approximately four weeks) our admin team will confirm the date with you and request a downpayment. If anything happens in the future that makes this date impossible due to external factors, we will refund or rebook at no cost. - I have surgery booked but now I'm worried about being able to pay for it - what are my options?
You can speak with reception about fractioning your payments, which we will offer on a case-to-case basis. - What measures will you take to reduce coronavirus-related risks during surgery?
We have already introduced international safety protocols regarding the protection of patients and staff. You will see your surgeons and nurses in more extended surgical protection gear. As a patient, you will be required to wear masks in many areas and our surface cleaning protocols are more focused on viral contamination. Most importantly, we will spread patient flow to avoid contact with any other patients and non-essential staff by spreading clinic hours and treating patients one at a time. - Will it be safer to have surgery at your clinic with regards to possible COVID-19 infections than going to a hospital for a procedure?
As a private outpatient clinic, we have a big advantage that we only treat elective cases and can test and separate before we operate. A hospital has to take and treat anybody who is sick, for whatever reason. Furthermore, in hospitals, operating rooms and recovery areas are shared between all patients and this may lead to the risk of cross-contamination. - Will you perform COVID-19 testing?
In fact, we already performed testing on some patients before the lockdown to ensure safety for staff and patients if there were risk factors. It is possible that we will perform COVID-19 testing within our pre-op labwork (based on test availability ) for a certain time. - Will I be unable to have surgery if I have a cough or cold or flu symptoms?
Like with any elective surgery that is non-urgent, we will operate on you only when you’re fit and well. In cases of flu-like symptoms, we may test you prior to surgery.
Do you have a question that we haven’t answered? Please get in touch via phone or email.
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