That doesn’t make sense . 

(Korean government should not adopt a telehealth system.)

 

Remote medical service systems have the advantage of facilitating the treatment of patients who are mobility impaired or who live in mountainous or island areas. However, I do oppose that system for the following five reasons.

1. There are five principles of medical care: ① asking a patient about his condition(문진), ② an ocular inspection(시진), ③ auscultation(청진) ④ percussion(탁진) ⑤ palpation(촉진). In the online medical treatment, only asking and an ocular inspection are available – even depending on the image quality, the latter may be impossible.

2. Already, Korea has excellent access to medical institutions. So it can further accelerate the phenomenon of leaning toward large or near Seoul hospitals.

3. Doctors can misdiagnose when the patients have similar symptoms in the remote medical service. For example, these days there are many patients with corona, enteritis, or cold when they have only a fever, it can be hard to point out what it is. If it is a serious illness, they could be in danger as time is delayed.

4. If the remote medical service is expanded, simple treatment is possible regardless of time and place, which can lead to drug misuse or overdose for simple diseases. Also, the intensity of pain people feel is different, so doctors can’t know that the patient’s words are reliable just by asking a patient about his condition(문진)) on-line.

5. The remote medical service doesn’t require much staff except doctors. As a result Jobs for health care workers will be reduced and there will be unemployment difficulty.

Telemedicine(the remote medical service system), of course, can have many advantages, but it will be possible after a national solution to the above five problems and improving citizens' awareness.