A bill has been proposed to allow telemedicine at all times.

On Friday, Rep. Choi Bo-yoon of the ruling People Power Party, a lawmaker from the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee, introduced the bill to amend the Medical Service Act.

The amendment allows doctors to provide telemedicine if they deem it safe, regardless of whether an infectious disease is spreading. However, it restricts clinic-level medical institutions from specializing only in telemedicine.

The bill also established a provision for the Ministry of Health and Welfare to manage and supervise online platforms to ensure that the brokering of telemedicine is carried out safely and systematically. The ministry must establish standards for operating telemedicine intermediation and guide and supervise intermediary platform operators as needed.

Under the current law, telemedicine is only allowed for a limited time in the event of an infectious disease crisis of severe stage or higher under the Infectious Disease Prevention Act. However, experts have maintained that it should be allowed at all times to improve access to healthcare for vulnerable groups, including rural residents, older adults, and the disabled who have difficulty accessing medical institutions.

"Korea is the only country in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) that does not allow telemedicine," Rep. Choi said. "Developed countries, including the United States, Japan, and Germany, have fully allowed telemedicine after the pandemic, which has greatly improved the efficiency and accessibility of healthcare services."

This amendment will lay the legal foundation for expanding people's access to healthcare and improving the efficiency of healthcare services, Choi said, adding that telemedicine will be an opportunity to eliminate medical blind spots and create an environment where everyone can safely and conveniently access healthcare services.