[Public Voices] Let's Fix the 'Hasty' Telemedicine Pilot Project Together

Finalized Without Considering Industry Opinions
Medical Staff Complain About Increased Workload
Industry Voices Must Be Heard During the Grace Period

An unprecedented infectious disease passed through, and the people experienced many changes. New changes also came to the medical field, which is responsible for the health of the people. Temporarily, a new medical service called telemedicine was allowed. Telemedicine, which operated without significant regulations, has protected the health of 14.19 million people over the past three years and has become part of our daily lives.

Both patients and medical staff showed high satisfaction. According to a survey conducted by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute last November, 62.3% of telemedicine users responded that they were satisfied with using telemedicine, and 87.9% said they intended to continue using telemedicine in the future. In a survey conducted by the same institution targeting doctors last March, 66.4% of doctors who had experience using telemedicine responded that they would continue to use it.

As a result, voices calling for the institutionalization of telemedicine have emerged in the political sphere. Currently, several amendments to the Medical Service Act for the institutionalization of telemedicine are pending in the National Assembly. The government also sought to lay the groundwork for institutionalization through a pilot project as the COVID-19 crisis alert level was downgraded from ‘serious’ to ‘caution,’ putting telemedicine at risk of being discontinued.

However, the Ministry of Health and Welfare limited the scope of telemedicine to follow-up patients who had been treated for the same illness at the same medical institution and restricted the telemedicine period to 30 days. Furthermore, the delivery of medicine, which is the final stage of telemedicine, was prohibited. The Ministry explained that it reflected the opinions of the medical and industrial sectors during the pilot project design process, but in reality, it ignored the industrial sector’s opinions and merely notified a finalized one-page pilot project plan.

As a result, since the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s telemedicine pilot project was implemented on the 1st, significant confusion has continued in the telemedicine field. This is because the Ministry’s recommendation requires medical institutions to directly verify whether patients are eligible for telemedicine, increasing the workload of medical staff. Moreover, administrative tasks such as reception, payment, and prescription delivery, which telemedicine platforms previously handled, must now be performed directly by medical staff.

As the burden of telemedicine increased, complaints from medical staff have erupted in many places. A specialist running an otolaryngology clinic in the metropolitan area expressed to the association, “The administrative procedures that the platform used to handle have become entirely the responsibility of the medical staff,” adding, “Due to the complicated administrative procedures, it is difficult to focus on treatment, and it is negatively affecting face-to-face care as well.”

Patients who used telemedicine well before the pilot project are also complaining about inconveniences. Since the pilot project began, about half of all telemedicine requests have been rejected or canceled by medical institutions. A patient raising a child in Seoul shared through a platform review, “I used telemedicine well when my child suddenly got sick, but now it has become very difficult to receive treatment,” and added, “I have to line up early in the morning to get pediatric care,” expressing regret.

The industrial sector, medical staff, and patients have foreseen the limitations of this pilot project and have pleaded for various voices to be heard to create better telemedicine. The industrial sector submitted an appeal to the Presidential Office, and doctors and pharmacists participating in telemedicine submitted petitions to the National Assembly. More than 100,000 users also participated in the ‘Protect Telemedicine Signature Campaign.’ However, the Ministry of Health and Welfare ignored their voices and pushed forward the telemedicine pilot project with hasty administration.

The telemedicine field is now filled with the lamentations of medical staff and patients due to the pilot project. The fortunate point is that a three-month grace period still remains. The Ministry of Health and Welfare has formed an advisory group, including the Remote Medical Industry Council, medical organizations, and consumer groups, to evaluate this pilot project. Even now, through the advisory group, it is necessary to listen to the voices of various stakeholders and create a telemedicine environment that can protect the health of the people.

Jang Ji-ho, Co-Chairman of the Remote Medical Industry Council

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