[Telemedicine at a Crossroads] ① "Remote Consultation from 160km Away on Weekend Nights... Is It No Longer Possible?"

"My two-year-old child ate baby food on Saturday evening, and by early Sunday morning, hives appeared all over their body for the first time. Since it was Sunday and there were no pediatric clinics open nearby, I was at a loss. Following advice from a mom caf?, I used a non-face-to-face platform for a consultation."

Yoon Hee-jin (35), who lives in Songpa-gu, Seoul, recalled her experience with telemedicine last January during the middle of winter. She received telemedicine care from Daejeon, about 160 km away from her home, on a Sunday. Without telemedicine, she would have had to visit the emergency room. Yoon said, "My baby was crying in pain, and I was so flustered because we had no medicine immediately available. The doctor looked at my child's skin once and urgently prescribed allergy medication."

Baby photo to help understand the article [Image source=Getty Images Bank]

Hyun (30s), an office worker, received medication delivered through telemedicine after suffering from acute gastroenteritis while at work. At that time, he was in the middle of a team project and couldn't even consider taking a half-day off. He said, "Telemedicine acted as a lifesaver." According to a survey released by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute in March, among users who experienced telemedicine at least once during the three years of COVID-19, 9 out of 10 reused the service, and 6 out of 10 were satisfied.

While telemedicine served as a 'savior' when in-person visits were difficult, starting next month, it will shift to a pilot project with many restrictions. Patients who have never visited the medical institution in person will, in principle, be prohibited from using telemedicine, and medications must be picked up directly at designated pharmacies. Jeon Sin-young, Chief Marketing Officer of Dr. Now, said, "Telemedicine has been a great help for infants and young children who need immediate care and for office workers who find it difficult to go out during work hours," but added, "Many platform companies are now at a crossroads regarding their survival due to the pilot project."

Medical professionals are increasingly uncertain about whether to continue telemedicine as procedures become more complicated. Since there is no system in place for platforms to link and use patient medical information held by medical institutions, it is currently difficult to distinguish between initial and follow-up visits. This issue also relates to legal amendments concerning personal information protection.

Platform companies are demanding the withdrawal and full reconsideration of the pilot project plan. They argue that requiring at least one prior visit to the same medical institution within 30 days for diseases other than chronic illnesses is an excessive regulation. If medical institutions refuse to provide telemedicine due to procedural complexities, user accessibility will further decline. They also say that banning medication delivery undermines the essence of telemedicine. The Ministry of Health and Welfare plans to finalize a compromise this week and implement the pilot project with a three-month grace period starting next month. The rollback of telemedicine, which was used by 13 million people during the COVID-19 period, has become inevitable. The Remote Medical Industry Council (Wonsanhyeop), composed of telemedicine platform companies and others, will release an "Appeal to the President" on the morning of the 24th in front of the Presidential Office in Yongsan, Seoul, requesting a full reconsideration of the telemedicine pilot project plan.

In contrast, the Korea Medical Association, Korea Pharmaceutical Association, and Korea Dental Association?the three major medical organizations?stated, "Telemedicine should be used as a supplementary means to in-person care." The Korean Pediatric Society holds the position that "regardless of initial or follow-up visits, telemedicine is impossible for pediatrics." The Korean Neuropsychiatric Association opposed telemedicine, saying, "In cases of mental illness, it can lead to self-harm or suicide attempts."