Failed to Pass National Assembly... When Will Telemedicine Legislation Be Enacted?

The National Assembly has halted discussions on the legalization of non-face-to-face medical treatment. Considering the busy schedule of the National Assembly due to budget deliberations, it seems unlikely that the ruling and opposition parties will reach a unified conclusion within this year. There are also predictions that it will be difficult to process the issue within the 21st National Assembly session, which ends on May 29 next year. Non-face-to-face medical treatment is a medical service where patients receive video consultations and prescriptions from doctors using information and communication technology at home without visiting medical institutions.

The Health and Welfare Committee of the National Assembly decided not to discuss the amendment to the Medical Service Act for the legalization of non-face-to-face medical treatment at the 1st Subcommittee on Bills meeting scheduled for 10 a.m. on the 22nd. It was judged that it is premature to discuss the bill due to conflicting opinions.

There are five bills on the legalization of non-face-to-face medical treatment currently pending in the National Assembly. Under the current law, non-face-to-face medical treatment is temporarily allowed only when the infectious disease crisis alert is at the highest level, "serious." The infectious disease crisis alert was downgraded in June this year, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare introduced a pilot project. According to the pilot project guidelines, patients eligible for non-face-to-face treatment are those who have had at least one face-to-face consultation within one year for chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes at the relevant medical institution. For diseases other than chronic diseases, patients must have had a face-to-face consultation within 30 days at the relevant medical institution. There are voices criticizing that the scope of follow-up patients is narrow and that it is practically difficult to use non-face-to-face medical treatment on public holidays.

However, the bills for the legalization of non-face-to-face medical treatment have not even passed the National Assembly threshold. The opposition party is demanding improvements regarding safety. They also pointed out the 'publicization' of private platforms. The ruling party emphasized the need to stabilize the system through legalization, but unilateral promotion of the bill is practically difficult.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare is currently discussing improvement directions through the advisory group for the non-face-to-face medical treatment pilot project. The Ministry plans to hold a meeting of the advisory group on the 23rd. This is two months after the 6th meeting held at the end of September. The pilot project intends to propose supplementary measures by collecting opinions from the advisory group and other stakeholders.

The non-face-to-face medical treatment service is practically in a state of suspended operation. After the grace period of the pilot project ended, users have stopped using the platforms. Platform companies are downsizing related businesses and changing their business directions to survive. Dr. Now launched ‘Doctor It’s,’ a personalized nutrition supplement brand, in collaboration with hy. Goodoc has enhanced services such as hospital reception and reservations and strengthened the pharmacy search system. NaManui Doctor is promoting a consumer direct testing (DTC) business in partnership with the genetic testing healthcare platform Gentok.

Meanwhile, a total of 84 bills are scheduled for review at the 1st Subcommittee on Bills. These include amendments to the Maternal and Child Health Act to support infertility patients, the amendment to the Pharmacist Act known as the 'Pharmacist Assault Prevention Act,' and the amendment to prohibit doctors from self-prescribing narcotics.