COVID-19 Home Treatment with Non-Face-to-Face Medical Service App 'Ssuk'

User Count Increased by 161% in One Month

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Cheol-hyun] Recently, the number of users of apps providing non-face-to-face medical consultations and healthcare services has surged due to the increase in COVID-19 cases and the shift to home treatment.

On the 15th, app analysis service WiseApp announced the non-face-to-face medical service apps that Koreans have been using frequently, revealing this trend. According to WiseApp, the total number of users of non-face-to-face medical service apps increased by 161%, from 570,000 in January to 1.5 million last month.

Non-face-to-face medical services refer to services that utilize interactive information and communication technology to provide overall medical activities such as remote consultations and prescription of medication without in-person visits. WiseApp conducted a sample survey last month of Korean smartphone users aged 10 and above, estimating that about 3% of the 49.42 million Korean smartphone users had used major non-face-to-face medical service apps such as DoctorNow, OlaCare, and GoodDoc at least once. This figure is expected to continue rising in line with the ongoing spread of COVID-19.

Among all generations combined, the most used non-face-to-face medical service app was 'DoctorNow,' with 530,000 users in February. This was followed by 'OlaCare' with 520,000 users and 'GoodDoc' with 450,000 users. Looking at all non-face-to-face medical service apps, the proportion of female users was higher, and by age group, OlaCare was more popular among those in their teens and twenties, DoctorNow among those in their thirties, and GoodDoc among those aged 50 and above.

This survey excluded COVID-19 related public medical service apps and general hospital appointment and registration service apps.

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