Full telemedicine adoption remains distant

Heads of doctors' groups representing different medical specialties attend a press conference at the Korean Medical Association headquarters in Seoul to oppose the government's pilot plan to expand telemedicine services, Dec. 6. Yonhap

The government's national telemedicine pilot is under pressure, as a growing number of medical professionals are boycotting the trial project due to safety concerns.

According to medical circles, Sunday, doctors’ groups of numerous specialties are refusing to participate in the government's trial plan to increase non-face-to-face medical service options that took effect on Friday, citing the danger of misdiagnosis.

The Korean Medical Association and the Korean Pharmaceutical Association are pressing the government to scrap the pilot plan.

In statements, the groups said the project could increase the possibilities of misdiagnosis and put patients' health and lives at risk, as doctors could miss symptoms of fatal diseases in non-face-to-face consultations.

The groups pointed out that the government unilaterally pushed for the policy and failed to consider the opinions of experts in the process. "Thus, the government should be responsible for any medical malpractice and drug misuse or abuse resulting from non-face-to-face medical services," the groups warned.

Previously, six doctors’ groups, representing practitioners of internal medicine, otolaryngology and pediatrics expressed safety concerns during a meeting with the Ministry of Health and Welfare on Tuesday, three days before the trial commenced.

The Korean Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists also declared a boycott of the trial in a statement, Friday, expressing regret to health authorities for pushing the policy through without necessary amendments to relevant laws.

The Korean Pediatric Association also encouraged its members to reject participation in the trial, arguing non-face-to-face consultation services, which could put at risk the lives of young patients, run contrary to medical ethics.

Additionally, an overwhelming 93.3 percent of neuropsychiatric professionals disagree with participation in the pilot, a recent survey by the doctors’ group shows.

Under the existing Medical Services Act, telemedicine services are technically illegal, but have been temporarily allowed since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The government started the pilot program in June as pandemic social distancing policies we being phased out.

Starting Friday, the coverage areas of telemedicine services in the pilot have been expanded and the age limit and operating hours have also been eased. Under this program, first-time telemedicine patients across all age groups can receive services, including counseling and prescriptions, from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m. on weekdays and from 1 p.m. on Saturdays and holidays.

Previously, only returning patients or first-time patients under 18 years of age could access non-face-to-face counseling at night or during holidays but this policy drew criticism, as medical facilities are usually closed at those times.

Also, the government added 98 cities and counties to the list of areas subject to exceptional telemedicine accessibility. Under the previous pilot from June, only first-time patients who live on islands or in mountainous areas were eligible to receive non-face-to-face consultations due to regional disparities in medical services.

Meanwhile, it remains uncertain whether the trial plan will be discussed at the Health and Welfare Committee’s meeting on Monday at the National Assembly, in the face of the strong backlash from medical professionals and opposing views of the rival parties on systemizing the pilot plan.