Received 3.5 Million Remote Medical Consultations but Still in the 'Fog'

COVID-19 Ignited Telemedicine
2.1 Million Cases Last Year, 180,000 Monthly Average
Need to Institutionalize 'Time-Limited Service'
Support Growing in Medical Community

Startup Platforms Like Dr. Now
900,000 Users in Just One Year
"Anxiety Over Possible Ban"

[Asia Economy Reporters Seo So-jeong and Lee Jun-hyung] Remote medical consultations have rapidly become part of everyday life, fueled by the spread of COVID-19. Despite being a "time-limited service," the use of remote consultations has surged sharply, and even the medical community, which had been largely opposed, is gradually voicing support. Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, ignited controversy by pledging to realize "remote non-face-to-face medical consultations." However, concerns have been raised that once COVID-19 stabilizes, the basis for remote consultations will disappear, necessitating institutional improvements.

◆ 180,000 Remote Consultations per Month = According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare on the 19th, as of the 6th of this month, the cumulative number of remote consultations reached 3,523,451. The cumulative number surpassed 2 million in April last year and increased by nearly 76% in just half a year. The total number last year was 2,102,853. This means that on average, 170,000 to 180,000 remote consultations are conducted monthly. A ministry official stated, "Expanding non-face-to-face medical consultations is one of the Ministry's key tasks this year," adding, "We will promptly prepare institutionalization plans through detailed discussions with the medical community and civil society."

The remote medical consultation industry is on a growth trajectory. After remote consultations were temporarily permitted in February 2020, at the early stage of the COVID-19 outbreak, startups providing related services have emerged one after another. Doctor Now is a representative remote medical platform. After launching its remote consultation service in December of the same year, Doctor Now surpassed 900,000 cumulative users and 600,000 downloads within a year. The number of remote consultations on Doctor Now increased by an average of 15-20% weekly. In October last year, it also secured 10 billion KRW in Series A funding. Including seed and pre-Series A investments, the total investment amounts to about 12 billion KRW. Major venture capitalists such as SoftBank Ventures and Mirae Asset Venture Capital are among the investors.

Leading platform companies NAVER and Kakao have also entered the field. NAVER plans to start testing AI medical development and remote consultations for its 4,300 employees through a 200-pyeong in-house hospital at its second office building in Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, scheduled to open in the first half of this year. Kakao established an in-house healthcare independent company (CIC) last month and appointed Professor Hwang Hee from Bundang Seoul National University Hospital, who led hospital digital innovation projects overseas including Saudi Arabia. Industry insiders agree that since the technical foundation for remote consultations is now established, rapid institutionalization is necessary. Hwang Hee, head of Kakao CIC, pointed out, "Technologically, Korea is by no means behind compared to overseas, but the institutionalization and implementation of remote consultations are slow." Among the 37 OECD member countries, 32 have already permitted remote consultations.

◆ Remote Medical Industry ‘Anxiously Waiting’ = Although demand for remote consultations is growing, the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s cautious stance has led the industry to express concerns such as "we might have to shut down within a month." This is because the timing of when remote consultations will be banned is effectively "unknown." Under current medical law, remote consultations are generally illegal but are allowed only when the national infectious disease alert level for COVID-19 is at the "serious" stage, which is the highest of the four levels: interest, caution, alert, and serious. If the alert level drops to "alert," just one step below serious, the legal basis for remote consultations disappears. When the government promoted phased daily recovery (With COVID) in November last year, startups in the remote consultation industry were gripped by fears of a "shutdown." An industry insider said, "It is practically impossible for remote consultation platforms to predict changes in the alert level," adding, "Startups have no choice but to anxiously wait for government announcements whenever confirmed case numbers fluctuate, so concrete guidelines need to be provided."

Opposition from the medical community, including the Korean Medical Association, is another hurdle. The association argues, "If non-face-to-face consultations expand, there is a risk of misdiagnosis and unclear responsibility for medical accidents," and claims, "The chronic problem of concentration in large hospitals in the domestic medical community will also accelerate." However, it is noteworthy that support for remote consultations is emerging within the medical community. A survey conducted last year by the Seoul Medical Association, centered on private practitioners, found that 86.7% of 675 doctors surveyed responded that "demand for remote medical care will increase." The Seoul Medical Association’s Remote Medical Research Group has started creating a favorable atmosphere by presenting potential legal issues that may arise with the institutionalization of remote medical care. A Ministry of Health and Welfare official said, "Institutionalization must be agreed upon with the medical community," adding, "Once the COVID-19 situation stabilizes, we will proceed with prior consultations between medical and government authorities."

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