South Korean medical groups urge halt to telemedicine and drug delivery expansion

Medical and pharmaceutical professionals in South Korea are calling for a halt to the expansion of telemedicine and prescription drug delivery services due to safety concerns.

The Korean Internal Medicine Association has urged the government to suspend the current telemedicine pilot program and reconsider its transition to a full-scale service scheduled for December. The association cited instances of multi-institution duplicate prescribing and the misuse of medications, including cases where antidepressants were prescribed in excessive quantities across different clinics. They are demanding a full investigation into the misuse of narcotics and dependency-inducing drugs and the implementation of a robust electronic system to prevent duplicate prescriptions.

Simultaneously, the Korean Pharmaceutical Association has protested against the government's discussions regarding the expansion of drug delivery. Representatives visited the Office for Government Policy Coordination and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups to demand an immediate stop to these discussions. They argued that drug delivery poses risks such as temperature-related spoilage, delivery errors, and increased pressure on national health insurance finances. The association plans to hold a large-scale protest in Seoul on September 20 to advocate for patient safety over industrial expansion.