Page 17 - ASPIRE AUGUST 2022 Vol 7 Issue 3

PAKISTAN
Enhancing awareness of infertility issues and health care guidelines for treating couples
By Dr Rohina Gul Country Representative
Officials at the Pakistan National Institute of Health have warned of the risk of a sixth COVID-19 wave due to a slight increase in new infections in recent weeks.
However, the Government is taking necessary steps to keep the situation under control.
The daily infection rate registered a sharp decline from the peak of 13 per cent on January 22, 2022 to 0.37 percent on April 12, 2022, according to official data. But in June and July it started rising again to 3.2 per cent.
It has been reported that 86 per cent of the eligible population over 12 years of age in Pakistan has been vaccinated.
Offices, other workplaces and hospitals are taking precautions to reduce the spread of the infection, as are fertility clinics.
Patients are being asked to take precautions by wearing masks and using sanitizers during visits to our clinic. We only treat fully vaccinated couples for any procedure in our clinic.
Rohina Gul
International Fertility Awareness Month was celebrated in June 2022. The aim was to:
• enhance the public’s understanding of infertility;
• ensure health care providers know the guidelines for treating couples; and
• educate law makers about how infertility impacts society.
We are also working to raise awareness of sub-fertility in males and females. Excellent seminars have been arranged covering topics including male infertility, the latest technologies and interventional procedures in female sub-fertility, preimplantation genetic techniques and sexual dysfunction causing infertility.
In July, we started a fourth series of the successful Certificate in ART course. LIFE is the only institute running such a course, and to date we have certified 98 students.
Seminars have addressed topics including sexual dysfunction causing infertility.
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