'Non-face-to-face treatment' allowed due to COVID-19... What will happen in the future?

<Anchor>

Recently, I was able to receive treatment without going to the hospital because of the corona virus.

Before the corona virus, the medical community opposed this treatment method, but recently the atmosphere has changed.

Let's see what reporter Ha-Jeong Park covered first, and then continue the story.

<Reporter>

It is difficult to find from outside, and at first glance, this place looks like a general office. It is a non-face-to-face medical clinic that opened in March.

[Lee Eui-sun / Director, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul A: I was in a situation where I was resting because of a health problem.

Wouldn't non-face-to-face treatment be a good way to balance my personal health and treatment (I thought).]

Most of the patients were corona patients.

[Lee Eui-sun / Director of Clinic A, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul: As soon as he received the call, he showed a very happy response, 'Did you get a call from that doctor?

' The number of patients also increased.

Such non-face-to-face treatment between medical personnel and patients was basically illegal, but after Corona, it became possible.

This is a clue to make it possible when the highest 'severe' level of the infectious disease crisis alert goes into effect.

Applications, which are non-face-to-face treatment platforms, have also appeared one after another.

When you receive treatment and send a prescription, you can even get your medicine delivered.

The medical community originally opposed it for reasons such as concentration of tertiary medical institutions and side effects of misdiagnosis, but the mood has changed recently.

[Park Soo-hyeon / Korean Medical Association Spokesperson: (non-face-to-face treatment) can become a very important medical policy, and there may be a direction for this now

. is against.

[Park Soo-hyun / Korean Medical Association Spokesperson: If you do not like (the doctor who received treatment through the platform), you can click again to see other doctors.

It's called 'Doctor Shopping'.

In fact, all of this comes from health insurance premiums.]

Although there is controversy over the spread of non-face-to-face treatment, the number of non-face-to-face treatment has exceeded 4 million, and as it is evaluated as the core of the digital health care industry, it is expected to return to pre-COVID-19. The evaluation that it can't prevail prevails.

(Video coverage: Kim Seung-tae, video editing: Hong Kyung-sil, CG: Seo Hyun-joong, Ahn Ji-hyeon, Jeon Hae-ri, Jo Hyeon-seo, Writer: Lee Mi-seon)

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<Anchor>

Reporter Park Ha-jeong, who just delivered the report, is here.

[Reporter Ha-Jeong Park: Now, after Corona 19, there have been some pharmacies that specialize in delivering prescriptions by fax.

This pharmacist society is opposed to both non-face-to-face treatment and drug delivery.

There are a lot of things to consider, such as who manufactures the drug and whether there are any problems with quality control during the delivery process.]

[Reporter Ha-Jeong Park: Actually, there was a time when a university hospital was closed due to a COVID-19 patient, and there was a time when I gave treatment over the phone.

At that time, only 'patients in stable medical condition' were treated over the phone.

Emergency patients and first-time patients were excluded.

So, the current National Assembly Medical Act amended to provide non-face-to-face medical treatment with similar standards.

For example, patients on islands or remote areas, and patients with chronic diseases such as hypertension or diabetes who have visited the hospital at least once.]

[Reporter Ha-Jeong Park: The Ministry of Health and Welfare had a meeting today (the 4th) with 6 medical organizations.

In the future, he said, "I will form a non-face-to-face medical consultation body to discuss concerns raised by medical groups."

It seems that we have to wait for the results to see what form it will take in detail.]