Telemedicine struggles for support in Korea

 07-Jun-16, mHealth Intelligence 

Telemedicine is a touchy subject in South Korea, where the government and doctors are once again clashing over the technology's value. South Korea’s government is pushing ahead with plans to launch a nationwide telemedicine platform despite strong opposition from doctors.

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South Korea had revised its Medicine Law in 2002 to allow only telemedicine consults between clinicians, specifically preventing them from treating patients at a distance.

A proposal to revise South Korea’s Medicine Law to allow doctors and patients to connect through information technology, primarily via the Internet, has been presented by the Health Ministry. 

In renewing the call for a national telemedicine platform, officials said the service would be limited to “residents with specific medical, social or geographic conditions,” such as elderly residents with chronic conditions, residents recovering at home from a recent surgery, those living in remote areas and those with physical disabilities.

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