Non-face-to-face Medical Platform Olacare Sees 2400% Increase in Daily Average Consultations

40% of All COVID-19 Patients Treated, 70% of Users in the Seoul Metropolitan Area

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] OlaCare, a non-face-to-face medical consultation and medicine delivery platform, announced on the 15th that the average daily number of consultations this year increased by 2481% compared to last year, based on an analysis of cumulative patient data over eight months since the service started in August last year.

During this period, COVID-19 home treatment accounted for 40% of all consultations. By region, users in the Seoul metropolitan area, where the actual number of confirmed COVID-19 cases was the highest, accounted for 70%. Additionally, users aged from their 20s to 40s made up 86%, showing that various age groups experienced non-face-to-face medical consultations.

As the number of users surged due to Omicron home treatment, OlaCare upgraded its system to allow doctors to increase the number of consultation slots available per hour for stable medical service. Through close cooperation with individual pharmacies, they minimized user inconvenience by providing notices to suspend deliveries when medicine shortages were expected to cause delivery delays. They also provided information on nearby pharmacies to patients, guiding them on how to quickly receive their prescribed medicines.

Kim Sung-hyun, CEO of BlueAnt, which operates OlaCare, said, “The number of users who experienced non-face-to-face home treatment through the platform and then sought consultations for other illnesses is increasing. It is expected that users who experienced non-face-to-face medical consultation and medicine delivery services during COVID-19 home treatment will continue to use the service for mild and seasonal illnesses, chronic diseases, and other medical needs in daily life.”

CEO Kim added, “When COVID-19 ends, the majority of the population will have experienced non-face-to-face medical consultations, and the service will naturally grow in response to the demands of the times. I hope that through active communication and consultation among stakeholders regarding the appropriate functions and roles of non-face-to-face medical consultations in Korea’s healthcare system, the service will be gradually established.”

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