Dr. Now Meets Transition Team... "Regulations Must Be Eased to Establish Telemedicine"

[Photo by Dr. Now]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Remote medical platform Doctor Now met with the Presidential Transition Committee to share the current status of telemedicine and requested regulatory relaxation.

According to Doctor Now on the 19th, the Youth Communication Task Force (TF) of the Transition Committee held a "Telemedicine Innovation Startup Meeting" at Doctor Now's headquarters in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, the day before. Attendees included Park Soo-young, member of the Planning and Coordination Subcommittee of the Transition Committee, Jang Ye-chan, head of the Youth Communication TF, Ko Hyung-woo, director of the Health and Medical Policy Office at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Jang Ji-ho, CEO of Doctor Now, and other executives and staff.

Transition Committee officials who attended the meeting experienced telemedicine firsthand. Dr. Lee Wook, a family medicine specialist affiliated with Doctor Now, said, "Almost all patients are first-time patients, and they are mild cases such as esophagitis, colds, or allergic rhinitis. I believe there are still medical blind spots in Korea. If telemedicine is well institutionalized, I think it will greatly help resolve these issues."

Doctor Now especially disclosed data accumulated over the past two years of operating telemedicine services. Contrary to concerns that medical disparities might occur due to usage mainly by younger people or concentration in large hospitals, the company explained that the actual usage rate for those aged 40 and above is 30%, and the proportion of primary medical institutions is 81%. They urged regulatory relaxation to help telemedicine become established.

In response, the Transition Committee reportedly expressed its intention to find immediate measures, such as enforcement ordinances, to maintain the telemedicine industry. Jang Ji-ho, CEO of Doctor Now, said, "The reason telemedicine is currently operating smoothly is thanks to respecting the judgments of individual doctors and pharmacists," adding, "If the medical community, industry, and the public continue discussions on telemedicine based on mutual respect, more constructive conclusions can be reached."

Meanwhile, telemedicine has shown rapid growth, with over 4.43 million users cumulatively until last month since it was temporarily permitted in February 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic began.

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