Deregulate telemedicine

Contactless treatment is a must in COVID-19 pandemic era

The government is working on the “Korean New Deal” to get over the economic shock caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It should put telemedicine ahead of all else. The coronavirus crisis has brought about changes in various areas of people's daily lives, such as work, education and shopping.

Most noticeable among them is the emergence of the contactless economy. Since the government temporarily allowed diagnoses and drug prescriptions through videophone calls, about 130,000 people have received online treatment in two months. No adverse effects, such as misdiagnoses or the leaking of medical information, have been reported, either.

The Moon Jae-in administration has recently selected the digital economy and preparation for the Fourth Industrial Revolution as its main targets. Telemedicine is going exactly in that direction. The population is rapidly aging, smart devices are continuously being developed, and the era of 5G started last year. In this time of change, telemedicine has planted itself as an indispensable element in global medical markets. The telemedicine market grew to 37 trillion won ($30 billion) worldwide last year, and 26 of the 36 OECD member nations have introduced a tele-care system.

The ongoing pandemic is stimulating the growth of telemedicine further. U.S. medical institutions, which introduced telemedicine in the early 1990s, have made one in every six diagnoses and treatments through telemedicine, and are seeing the number of patients receiving online medical services surge more than 100 times after the outbreak of COVID-19. Korea's response to COVID-19 by diagnosing, isolating and treating patients has earned global praise. The nation's telecom industry has also acquired the reputation as the world's best. All this means this country has ideal conditions for developing telemedicine.

However, the Korean Medical Association and some civic groups have been adamantly opposing it, reasoning that it will ruin neighborhood clinics and introduce possible misdiagnoses. That explains why Yoon Seong-ro, chairman of the Fourth Industrial Revolution Committee, has proposed holding a “hackathon” to overcome such opposition and regulations. Telemedicine is one of Korea's new industrial staples and it is a repository for jobs. The government should make it a core part of the Korean New Deal, through unlimited debate if necessary, sooner rather than later.