[Exclusive] COVID-19 Spurs 'Remote Medical Care' Discussions in National Assembly... "If Done Through Google, It Might Be Unstoppable"

Basic Service Industry Development Act Bill Pending at the National Assembly's Budget Committee "Discussion Considering Non-Face-to-Face Medical Care"

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] The Basic Act on Service Industry Development, which has failed to pass the National Assembly for 10 years, is now being prepared for renewed promotion in the wake of COVID-19. This law serves as a stepping stone for allowing telemedicine. Civil society has opposed it due to concerns over medical commercialization, and the medical community has blocked its enactment citing deterioration in medical quality and reduced income for frontline clinics and hospitals. However, as the necessity of non-face-to-face medical care has increased, voices within the ruling party are emerging that the law is needed, provided that protective measures for 'local clinics' are in place.

Ryu Seong-geol, chairman of the Economic and Fiscal Subcommittee of the National Assembly's Planning and Finance Committee and a member of the People Power Party, said in a phone interview with Asia Economy on the 29th, "The Basic Act on Service Industry Development was discussed once in the subcommittee last November and will continue to be discussed in the National Assembly next month. There had been resistance to accepting prescriptions and medical consultations via non-face-to-face methods, but with the COVID-19 situation, there have been many discussions on how to provide urgent care for other illnesses, and further discussions will take place."

This bill was first submitted to the 18th National Assembly in 2011 when Hong Nam-ki was the Director General of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, but no substantial discussions occurred. Similar bills were introduced in the 19th and 20th National Assemblies but were discarded amid controversies over medical commercialization. In the 21st National Assembly, three bills proposed respectively by Lee Won-wook of the Democratic Party of Korea, Chu Kyung-ho of the People Power Party, and Ryu (the subcommittee chairman) are currently pending in the Planning and Finance Committee.

As a superior law that takes precedence over other laws, the bill proposed by Lee in July last year excluded the Medical Service Act, the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, the National Health Insurance Act, and the National Health Promotion Act. This was an attempt to avoid commercialization controversies, but after about seven months, Lee now believes that telemedicine should also be included in the discussions.

Lee said in a phone interview with Asia Economy, "It seems that COVID-19 has opened up possibilities. The debate is divided between for-profit and non-profit, but most hospitals are actually for-profit anyway. However, if we create supplementary measures to ensure that local clinics and hospitals do not suffer, it should be quite feasible."

One of the core elements of the government's and ruling party's flagship 'Korean New Deal' is 'smart healthcare.' Lee Kwang-jae, head of the Democratic Party's K-New Deal Headquarters and a member of the Planning and Finance Committee, said in a phone interview, "It is a reality that non-face-to-face medical care is unavoidable. It is also important that as online services strengthen, they transcend national borders. For example, if in the future someone wants to pay Google $10 or $20 for telemedicine, the state might not be able to block it."

He added, "It should be tested and implemented step-by-step on the premise that primary care institutions do not suffer disadvantages and can benefit."

Meanwhile, the bill proposed by Chu Kyung-ho includes provisions that exclude cases where other laws have special regulations, such as Article 15 of the Medical Service Act (prohibition of refusal of treatment without just cause) and certain provisions of the National Health Insurance Act. Ryu Seong-geol's bill excludes the Medical Service Act, the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, and the National Health Insurance Act but adds a clause stating that service industry policies under other laws should 'strive to harmonize' with the Basic Act on Service Industry Development. All these bills leave some 'room' to avoid controversies over medical commercialization.

Demand for allowing telemedicine is increasing, especially among the 4th Industrial Revolution technology sector. On the 13th, the Korea Venture Business Association presented deregulation for telemedicine and data economy activation as key priorities for this year.

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