Non-face-to-face Medical Consultation Brokerage Platform 'Guideline' Released

Dr. Now Headquarters Holds First Official Meeting with Ministry of Health and Platform

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] Remote medical platform DoctorNow announced on the 28th that it held a 'Remote Medical Consultation Platform Meeting' at DoctorNow headquarters in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, attended by officials from the Ministry of Health and Welfare and representatives from remote medical consultation platform companies.

This meeting was the first official event organized by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the main government department, to listen to the voices of the industry since remote medical consultation was included as a national agenda. At this event, the Ministry announced the 'Remote Medical Consultation Brokerage Platform Guidelines,' which incorporate opinions from expert groups such as the medical and pharmaceutical sectors along with industry feedback.

The guidelines include provisions such as ▲establishing methods for medical institutions and pharmacies to verify patient identity ▲allowing patients to directly select medical personnel (medical institutions) ▲allowing patients to directly select pharmacies ▲specifying alternative dispensing ▲prohibiting the reuse of prescriptions ▲prohibiting the provision of information on prescription drug names, effects, and prices ▲and preparing management measures to prevent inducement through patient reviews.

Lee Chang-jun, Acting Director of the Health and Medical Policy Office, said in his greeting, “Remote medical consultation, which has been discussed for over 10 years, has accumulated sufficient experience during the two and a half years of the pandemic,” and added, “Based on the accumulated experience of safety and effectiveness, we plan to prepare institutionalization by establishing a legal basis for remote medical consultation under the Medical Service Act.” He continued, “Even after the severe stage of COVID-19, the role of platforms that can highlight the positive functions of remote medical consultation is important,” and added, “The government has prepared guidelines to apply past experiences well in the field, and through multiple consultations with medical and pharmaceutical organizations, we have reflected as many opinions as possible in the guidelines to alleviate concerns in the medical community.”

Jang Ji-ho, CEO of DoctorNow, presented the achievements of remote medical consultation and said, “We are grateful that the guidelines created by the Ministry of Health and Welfare together with the medical and pharmaceutical sectors for safer remote medical consultation are being completed with the industry,” and added, “DoctorNow will participate in the Ministry’s guidelines, coexist with the medical and pharmaceutical sectors, and do its best to ensure that all citizens can enjoy the benefits of remote medical consultation and receive safe medical care.”

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