Since the government implemented its pilot project of non-face-to-face treatment a month ago, 842 prescriptions for narcotics have been made, although they are prohibited in the non-contact treatment.
Some experts point out that non-face-to-face medical treatment has become a channel for the misuse of narcotic drugs.
On Friday, Rep. Cheon Hye-suk of the Democratic Party of Korea, a member of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee, released a report, "Prescription Status of Medicines Covered by the Non-Face-to-Face Treatment Pilot Project" submitted by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA).
According to the data, since the non-face-to-face medical treatment pilot project began in June, 842 cases of narcotic drugs (excluding non-reimbursable drugs) – eight narcotics and 834 psychotropic drugs -- have been prescribed with the application of the “non-face-to-face medical treatment pilot project management fee.”
Narcotic drugs include anesthetics, painkillers, hypnotics, anxiolytics, appetite suppressants, antiepileptics, and ADHD medications, and their ingredients include zolpidem used to treat insomnia.
These medicines have hefty side effects and can be used for criminal purposes, such as illegal medication, so the pilot project banned the prescription of narcotic medicines. However, it was found that they were still being prescribed.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, non-face-to-face medical treatment was allowed from the initial consultation regardless of the type of disease or medical subject. However, since the pilot project began in June, it has been implemented on second-time patients in principle, with some exceptions, such as residents in islands and remote areas.
Experts stress the need for measures against narcotic drug prescriptions and drug abuse, pointing out that even if medical institutions follow the guidelines, the current non-face-to-face medical care system makes it difficult to verify the identity of the patient, making it difficult to filter out even if the patient prescribes a proxy prescription for drug abuse.
"During the pilot period of the non-face-to-face medical treatment, many cases were found that violated the guidelines, such as prescribing the medicine that the patient wanted, even if it was an initial consultation and the amount exceeded the prescription day limit," Rep. Cheon said.
In non-face-to-face medical treatment, prescriptions are often received in image files, including PDFs. Still, it isn't easy to verify the authenticity of non-prescription drugs not registered with the DUR (Drug Safety and Use Service) because it is easy to manipulate the prescription by Photoshop, she pointed out.
"Misuse of medical narcotics and some non-prescription drugs can easily occur through non-face-to-face medical treatment, so it is urgent to take measures," Rep. Cheon added.