S. Korea To Begin Limited Telemedicine Service

South Korea plans to begin limited telemedicine service next year, a top official said Monday, in the latest push to introduce the new medical care support system despite strong opposition from doctors.

SEOUL, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Dec, 2018 ) :South Korea plans to begin limited telemedicine service next year, a top official said Monday, in the latest push to introduce the new medical care support system despite strong opposition from doctors.

Telemedicine is designed to provide quality healthcare to those in hard-to-reach areas by connecting patients to doctors using the internet in one of the world's most wired countries.

Hong Nam-ki, the minister of economy and finance, said telemedicine patients could include deep-sea fishermen, residents of remote islands and frontline soldiers. Hong did not provide any specific time frame.

In August, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said it is considering introducing telemedicine for deep-sea fishermen, residents of remote islands and soldiers, as well as prison inmates.

In 2015, South Korea increased the number of people in its telemedicine pilot program to about 5,300 on seven remote islands, as well as prison inmates, deep-sea fishermen and soldiers near the border with North Korea, to check the feasibility of the system before expanding it across the country.

Still, the Korean Medical Association, which represents some 100,000 physicians across the country, has recently renewed its opposition to the government's move, citing safety concerns and other potential problems.