As the government reviews a plan to expand eligibility for delivery of prescription drugs from telemedicine, pharmacists and civic groups held a rally on the 13th opposing a full expansion of drug delivery.
The Solidarity for Anti-privatization of Healthcare and Realization of Free Medical Care held a rally in front of the former presidential office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the day and urged the government to reconsider the policy, saying, "A full expansion of drug delivery could accelerate platform-centered privatization of healthcare."
Officials from civic and health care organizations, including the Pharmacists for a Healthy Society and People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD), took part in the rally. The organizers said about 1,300 people participated.
They argued that if the government fully expands telemedicine and delivery of prescription drugs, private platforms will expand their influence over care, prescribing, dispensing, and delivery, leading to overtreatment, duplicate prescriptions, and medication misuse.
Jeon Gyeong-rim, head of Pharmacists for a Healthy Society, said, "Medicines are not a delivery item that ends when they arrive at the doorstep," and added, "Health care must not become a new growth market for platform corporations."
There were also concerns about the impact on the National Health Insurance finances.
Cho Dong-hwan, senior vice representative of the Health Consumers Union, said the government should thoroughly review health insurance expenditure, additional fees and administrative costs, and measures to prevent overtreatment and duplicate prescriptions that could follow an expansion of drug delivery.
Patient and consumer groups, on the other hand, say the current delivery eligibility is too limited and needs to be expanded.
The Patient and Consumer Solidarity for Pharmaceutical Sovereignty, made up of the Korea Alliance of Patients Organization and the Korea National Council of Consumer Organizations, earlier called for expanding eligibility for delivery, saying, "Patients who need drug delivery, such as cancer patients or older adults with mobility difficulties, can be excluded under current standards."
The government plans to formally implement the telemedicine system on Dec. 24, when the revised Medical Service Act takes effect, and to prepare subordinate regulations that include community pharmacy-centered delivery and a ban on pharmacies dedicated to telemedicine. It is also reviewing additional legal revisions to expand eligibility for drug delivery.
The Korean Pharmaceutical Association plans to hold a nationwide rally of pharmacists on the 20th to oppose expanding drug delivery.
The Korean Pharmaceutical Association emphasized, "Expanding drug delivery is not a simple change in how medicines are received but a serious issue that could fuel unnecessary medical use and medication misuse, increasing the burden on National Health Insurance finances and spreading platform-centered distribution of health care and medicines, which could weaken local health care systems."