The South Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare is pushing further to institutionalise telemedicine by launching a nationwide pilot of the service. 

WHAT IT'S ABOUT 

Under the three-month pilot, telemedicine services are only offered when a doctor deems it necessary and safe for target patients. They include patients with chronic diseases who have done their first in-person visits; paediatric patients seeking follow-ups (only during holidays and at night); people living in islands and other remote areas; disabled persons; senior citizens over the age of 65; and people dealing with infectious diseases.

The pilot involves clinics, as well as some hospitals that can only offer them to patients with rare diseases and patients who require continuous health management after surgery (those needing device checkups and explanation of test reports).

The project also allows providers to conduct consultations over voice call when video conferencing is impossible. Prescriptions can be sent via fax or e-mail to a patient's pharmacy of choice. Medicine delivery can also be done through self-pick-up, proxy pick-up, or home pick-up – the latter only allowed for patients residing in islands or remote areas, people with mobility issues, and those dealing with infectious diseases and rare diseases.

THE LARGER CONTEXT

At the start of the pandemic, the South Korean government immediately permitted the temporary conduct of telemedicine to help stem the spread of COVID-19 infections. After three years, a report into its conduct found that about 14 million Koreans received treatment via telemedicine from February 2020 to January 2023. The services had been provided by over 25,000 medical institutions, mostly clinics. Following this positive uptake, the government is now working to institutionalise the service. 

However, as the public health crisis alert has been downgraded following the drop in COVID-19 infections, providing telemedicine services is no longer permitted today in South Korea.

To maintain the improved accessibility of care experienced during the pandemic, the MOHW decided to run a nationwide pilot of telemedicine services while waiting for the revisions made to related provisions in the country's Medical Service Act to take effect. 

Last month, the ministry drew up the draft of the project, which was then discussed with six industry associations: the Korean Medical Association, the Korean Hospital Association, the Korean Dental Association, the Korean Medical Association, the Korean Pharmaceutical Association, and the Korean Nursing Association. It mentioned that the pilot sought to strike a balance between the safe delivery of telemedicine services and the provision of convenience and accessibility of care by maintaining three principles: public health first, improved convenience, and respect for patient choice. 

ON THE RECORD

"The telemedicine pilot project is an unavoidable policy to improve public health and medical accessibility in a situation where the Medical Act has not been revised and is [being] carried out within a limited scope. Through this, we will regularly evaluate the performance of the pilot project and supplement and develop the insufficient parts to prepare a stable institutionalisation plan," Health Minister Cho Gyu-hong said.