Ahead of Telemedicine Legalization... Platform Industry Ignites Debate Over "Allowing First Consultations"

As the legalization of telemedicine, temporarily permitted during the COVID-19 pandemic phase, is under discussion, voices are growing within the platform industry calling for the expansion of telemedicine to include not only returning patients but also first-time patients. The stance is that the scope of telemedicine should not be excessively restricted in order to enhance public access to healthcare and secure medical sovereignty amid the global expansion of the digital healthcare industry.

An urgent discussion for legislation on non-face-to-face medical treatment held at the National Assembly on the 18th.
[Photo by Unicorn Farm]

At the “Emergency Forum for the Legislation of Telemedicine” held at the National Assembly on the 18th, platform industry representatives expressed concerns about the legalization of telemedicine focusing only on returning patients while highlighting its growth potential. Lee Ho-ik, CEO of Soldoc, pointed out, “Among patients who need telemedicine, special groups such as children, the elderly, and those with mental illnesses become isolated in terms of healthcare access without assistance,” adding, “If services are provided only for returning patients, most elderly people will find it difficult to receive medical care.” He further emphasized, “In the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak, infants and young children could not receive vaccines and were more likely to get infected when visiting hospitals, but telemedicine resolved this issue. Currently, it complements face-to-face care, but it has the potential to develop into a core option for treatment in certain areas.”

There was also an opinion that if telemedicine is legalized focusing on returning patients, it would be difficult to move beyond the level of ‘remote monitoring’ such as confirming treatment prognosis. Gil Eun-jin, Head of External Cooperation at Goodoc, said, “Providing telemedicine after face-to-face care is a model suitable for prognosis management and medication guidance,” adding, “If telemedicine is used as a basis and face-to-face care is deemed necessary, encouraging visits and linking to in-person care can further improve healthcare accessibility.”

Analysis showing no major medical accidents during the three years of COVID-19 pandemic trials was also presented as a basis for allowing first-time patients. Earlier, the Ministry of Health and Welfare disclosed that a total of 36.61 million telemedicine cases were conducted without serious medical accidents. Lim Hyun-jung, CEO of Hecto Clinic (pharmacist), emphasized, “Concerns about telemedicine in hospitals and pharmacies were different from reality,” and stressed, “It is essential to establish a system that increases public access to healthcare while ensuring safe medical services through guidelines for treatment and medication guidance.”

On the 18th, participants are engaged in a discussion at an urgent forum for legislation on non-face-to-face medical treatment held at the National Assembly.
[Photo by Lee Gwanju]

Based on the experience of doctors who have provided telemedicine in medical settings for three years, the necessity of legalizing telemedicine was also proposed. Lim Ji-yeon, a family medicine specialist, said, “During three years of telemedicine, 99% of patients were first-time mild cases. Therefore, I have been seeing more than 50 patients daily via telemedicine without any medical accidents,” criticizing, “Requiring telemedicine to be provided only by doctors who have seen patients face-to-face or to visit in person is unrealistic, as the medical field is mechanically classifying first-time and returning patients.”

Dr. Lim also shared a case where a 7-year-old child suffering from hives late on a Saturday night recovered through telemedicine, saying, “Without telemedicine, the parents would have had to nurse the child all night or wait endlessly in the emergency room,” and emphasized, “If used well, technological advances can provide innovative medical services. I hope irrational systems do not hinder medical progress.”

Additionally, Gu Tae-eon, a lawyer at Law Firm Lin, suggested viewing the legalization of telemedicine from the perspective of securing medical sovereignty. He said, “Temporary permission for telemedicine makes stable venture capital investment difficult,” and expressed concern, “While overseas discussions focus on how large-scale AI like ChatGPT will change healthcare, we are still debating whether to allow first-time and returning patients. This urgency could lead to being overtaken by foreign big tech companies.”

Telemedicine, temporarily permitted during the ‘severe’ phase of the COVID-19 outbreak, faces the risk of suspension without legal grounds if the crisis alert level is lowered. Currently, five medical law amendment bills related to this issue have been proposed in the National Assembly. Most of these bills, except for the one recently introduced by Kim Sung-won of the People Power Party, limit telemedicine to returning patients only.

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