By Joori Roh

SEOUL (Reuters). Kim Jinwoo, a Seoul resident aged 27, was diagnosed with COVID-19. After he failed to recover at home, he needed to be seen by a doctor. The nearest hospital had already been booked. He picked up his cellphone.

Many have turned to South Korean telemedicine, like Kim. In the wake of record-breaking Omicron numbers and a ban on providing care to patients with COVIDs under 60 years old, authorities have said that they will only treat those who are over 60. They also recommend homecare for milder symptoms.

Although telemedicine may be technically illegal in South Korea, and it was not allowed in South Korea under COVID emergency measures until 2020, its growth and support by President-elect Yoon Sukyeol (who sees it an “inevitable truth”) suggest that it might still be part the South Korean healthcare system.

It was very convenient to be treated via phone and get drugs in one process. Kim stated that she hoped this could be extended even after COVID is over. Being ill can make it difficult to travel to the hospital.

Kim is able to travel an hour by foot to the nearest hospital for homecare COVID patients. However, it is only open Monday through Tuesday. It is fully booked for this week.

In total, 2 million residents in South Korea are receiving COVID homecare. There are on average two doctors for every 1,000 South Koreans, but only six cities and 17 provinces have the same average. This shows how poor health care can be.

The lack of traditional in-person service has created a demand for telemedicine services, such as Doctor Now, Ollacare and Soldoc, which help patients located hundreds to thousands of km away.

Doctor Now is a SoftBank Ventures-backed startup. It said that it had seen an increase in its users in the 20s and 30s with more than half of all cases now being COVID.

Nearly a million people have registered for treatment on the site since February 2020. This is 40 percent more than the 2.3 million total users who signed up in December 2020.

Others players also saw an increase in users.

However, there are very few telemedicine providers in South Korea. Therefore, it is not easy to get a call from a doctor. Kim had to wait for three hours before she received a call from a doctor.

Kim stated to Reuters that she had to wait for hours to be admitted to the virtual queue. “It’s not the same as being unable receive treatment… but I do have tons of work, so I would still have missed it at the hospital,” Kim explained.

TELEMEDICINE SUPPORTED BY YOON

Yoon is the President-elect, and he takes office May 1. This promises to make sure that all Koreans have access to telemedicine, boosting hopes that this practice will become part of South Korea’s $23 billion healthcare industry.

According to data from the health ministry, telemedicine has only provided a small number of treatments worth 58 billion won ($48 millions) over the past 2 years.

Fortune Business Insights reports that the global leader in telemedicine, North America, was $57.26 million in 2020.

The company expects that the worldwide telemedicine market will reach $264 billion by 2028 from $127 billion in 2020.

The Korean Medical Association opposed telemedicine for decades because of concerns about misuse and misdiagnosis.

The medical community has begun to embrace the trend, recognizing that telemedicine may help close the gap between rural and urban areas in medical services.

Han Jaehyuk, a Seoul paediatrician, said that at first it seemed awkward and complicated. But, “it turns out it is more satisfying to both doctor and patient”.

The use of telemedicine for patients who cannot visit hospitals, or for those who need prescription refills due to chronic illnesses is crucial.

($1 = 1,211.9800 won)