Minor Waves Also Resist... Remote Medical Care Has a Long Way to Go

Strong Opposition to Non-Face-to-Face Medical Care for Overseas Koreans
Lack of Prior Coordination with Stakeholders

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] The medical community is strongly opposing the government's approval of non-face-to-face medical consultations, so-called telemedicine, for Korean nationals living abroad. In particular, suspicions about the commercialization of healthcare have not subsided, and the government appears to be responding to industry proposals this time. Moreover, the health authorities have allowed telemedicine centered on large hospitals rather than primary care institutions such as local clinics as initially promised, which has further fueled opposition from the medical community. Despite being a sensitive issue entangled with sharp conflicts, the announcement was made without sufficient prior coordination with stakeholders, leaving the impression that the policy is being hastily pushed forward.

Government Cites "Overseas Koreans Unable to Receive COVID-19 Tests" as Reason,
Korean Medical Association Says "Telemedicine May Delay Early Diagnosis and Treatment"

The government, seemingly aware of the backlash against telemedicine from within and outside the medical community, granted temporary approval only for overseas Koreans. Given that overseas Koreans face communication difficulties and limited access to medical services in their respective countries, the government has issued this temporary approval and clearly stated its intention to institutionalize telemedicine under the leadership of the Ministry of Health and Welfare in the future. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy cited as a major example that Korean construction company employees and their families working on construction projects in Middle Eastern countries have been unable to receive proper diagnostic tests locally due to 'priority treatment for nationals.'

The Health and Medical Solidarity, which includes the Association of Doctors for Humanitarian Practice, opposed the move. In a statement released after the government announcement, the Health and Medical Solidarity said, "There is no precedent worldwide for allowing telemedicine and prescriptions across all medical fields," emphasizing that "allowing telemedicine for all diseases without proven effectiveness is a health-threatening act and an overreach by the economic ministry."

This group has long opposed the expansion of telemedicine promoted by the government as part of fostering the non-face-to-face industry since the COVID-19 outbreak, citing strong intentions toward healthcare commercialization. Previous attempts under the former administration also faced opposition from civic groups because telemedicine failed to dispel suspicions that it only served the interests of certain large corporations or major hospitals.

The Korean Medical Association, which has consistently expressed a negative stance on telemedicine, also argued, "COVID-19 cannot be distinguished from other infectious diseases based on symptoms alone," adding, "If suspected, the best course is to get a confirmatory test as soon as possible. Remote consultations that only check symptoms are not helpful and may rather cause delays in early diagnosis and treatment."

Temporary Approval Centered on Large Hospitals... Fuels Suspicions of Healthcare Commercialization,
Health Authorities’ Claim of "Primary Care Institution Focus" Is Empty Talk

Although health authorities publicly stated that future implementation would focus on clinic-level medical institutions to prevent backlash from the medical community, the recent temporary approval centered on large hospitals has rendered the government's promises meaningless. The institutions granted temporary approval this time are Inha University Hospital and Life Semantics, an operator of a telemedicine online platform. This company plans to offer telemedicine services through so-called 'Big 5' large hospitals, including Bundang Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, and Asan Medical Center. The Health and Medical Solidarity emphasized, "They claimed there would be no concentration in large hospitals and that telemedicine would be primarily used for chronic diseases at primary care institutions, but the telemedicine promoted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy has proven to be an industrialization model centered on large hospitals."

Criticism has become unavoidable as the government granted approval without sufficient discussion on specific issues such as how to supply medicines after prescriptions following patient consultations, or how to address liability issues arising from medical acts. There has been insufficient review of pending issues such as sending domestic medicines via delivery services after prescriptions or recognizing medical licenses overseas.

Within the ruling party, including Kim Yong-ik, chairman of the National Health Insurance Service who formulated the current administration's health policy, and Kim Yeon-myeong, senior secretary for social affairs at the Blue House, there is a growing recognition of the need for telemedicine. Some parts of the medical community, such as the Hospital Association and the Korean Medicine Association, have also expressed theoretical support. Amid this, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, lacking sufficient understanding of the health sector, has produced a poor blueprint, which some say has only strengthened the grounds for opposing telemedicine. The Korean Medical Association harshly criticized, "The temporary approval of telemedicine for overseas Koreans is a meaningless face-saving policy and a laughable disaster caused by the impatience of officials obsessed with superficial achievements."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.