Goodoc "COVID-19 Re-spread Drives Continued Surge in Non-face-to-face Medical Consultations"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hyowon] Digital healthcare platform Goodoc announced on the 21st that the number of COVID-19 non-face-to-face medical consultations is rapidly increasing according to its own aggregated data.

Goodoc analyzed that with the resurgence of COVID-19, as of this day, the number of COVID-19 non-face-to-face consultations has tripled compared to the previous month, showing a rapid upward trend again. This figure is six times higher compared to June, which recorded the lowest point this year.

The daily new confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Korea surpassed 70,000 as of the 21st. This is nearly 10 times higher than the 8,968 cases on the same day of the previous month. Since surpassing 10,000 cases in early July this year, the number has steadily increased, maintaining the 70,000 level as of the 21st.

According to Goodoc, analysis of non-face-to-face consultation numbers within its app service shows that the proportion of COVID-19 consultations recently rose to 50%. This is more than half of the approximately 90% level during the peak spread in February to March. During April to May, when social distancing measures were lifted, it was around 25%.

The company cited the optimized home treatment service as the reason behind the recent surge in COVID-19 non-face-to-face consultations on Goodoc. Goodoc provides a free service that allows consultations and medication delivery without going out even during the isolation period. Additionally, it operates a ‘reservation concierge service’ that enables users to receive consultations without waiting time during hours when medical service gaps occur, such as late nights and weekends.

Im Jinseok, CEO of Goodoc, said, “Although the speed of COVID-19 resurgence is rapidly increasing, the medical environment has changed with conditional paid transition of testing and treatment fees and out-of-pocket expenses for home treatment.” He added, “According to recent policy materials from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, patients who cannot pay on-site can pay their out-of-pocket expenses through the Goodoc app after consultation between medical institutions and patients. We will continue to improve non-face-to-face related services to support overcoming this infection spread.”

Meanwhile, Goodoc, which launched its non-face-to-face consultation service last February, has surpassed 1 million cumulative non-face-to-face consultation uses within five months.