▲ Ministry of Health and Welfare
The government is launching discussions to expand the eligibility for contactless medicine delivery ahead of the implementation of contactless treatment scheduled for later this year.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced today (August 20) that it will pursue discussions on expanding contactless medicine delivery and upgrading the pharmacy inventory information provision system.
With the Medical Service Act amendment taking effect on December 24, contactless treatment is set to officially begin at the end of this year. However, medicine delivery for these services was originally planned to be limited to residents in remote or isolated islands, long-term care beneficiaries, people with disabilities, patients with infectious diseases, and those with rare diseases.
Accordingly, discussions will begin in earnest on whether medicine delivery can be made available to all patients receiving contactless treatment.
Along with upgrading the pharmacy inventory information provision system, the government also plans to simultaneously review detailed matters such as quality control for dispensed medications, confirmation of patient receipt, and medication guidance.
To gather opinions from stakeholders during the review process, a pan-governmental public-private consultative body involving pharmacists' associations and contactless treatment intermediary platforms will be fully operated.
Earlier this afternoon at the National Assembly, the amendment to the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, commonly known as the "Dr. Now Prevention Act," narrowly passed the plenary session with 95 in favor, 34 against, and 49 abstentions out of 178 members present.
Sharp disagreements between pros and cons had persisted over the bill, which restricts contactless treatment platforms from concurrently engaging in the wholesale pharmaceutical business.
The government aims to improve patients' accessibility to medications while reorganizing the order of pharmaceutical distribution.
(Photo: Provided by Ministry of Health and Welfare, Yonhap News)
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