Full Permission for Non-Face-to-Face Medication Delivery? Pharmacists Vow Strong Opposition

[Anchor]

Starting later this year, residents of islands and remote areas, as well as individuals with disabilities, will be able to have their medications delivered directly to their homes. When the government further signaled its intent to expand the scope of medication delivery, the pharmacist community immediately pushed back.

Here is the report by Han Sung-hee.

[Reporter]

Non-face-to-face medical treatment allows patients to consult with doctors using smartphones without visiting a hospital.

Following a six-year pilot project after COVID-19, it is scheduled for full implementation this coming December.

With the implementation of non-face-to-face treatment, exceptions will also be made to the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act regulation that prescription drugs must be sold exclusively inside pharmacies.

Residents of islands and remote areas, long-term care beneficiaries, and people with disabilities will be able to receive their prescribed medications after non-face-to-face consultations without having to visit a pharmacy.

However, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that it will begin discussions on amending the law to permit such medication delivery for all non-face-to-face treatment patients.

This means patients may not need to visit either hospitals or pharmacies, and citizens are generally welcoming the idea.

[Kim Joo-young / Seongdong-gu, Seoul: In my household, it is often difficult for my grandmother and father to go all the way to the pharmacy to get their prescriptions filled....]

[Jang Dong-woo / Seongdong-gu, Seoul: Since there will be text messages and updates about medication instructions in between, I think medication delivery is a good system.]

The pharmacist community immediately protested.

They argue that there is a possibility of dispensed medicines deteriorating during the delivery process and significant concerns regarding drug abuse and misuse.

[Jang Bo-hyun / Pharmacist: Even when we meet face-to-face at the pharmacy, show the medicines directly, and explain how to take them, there are many cases where problems arise because people take or use them incorrectly. There are zero safety devices or measures for that...]

The Korean Pharmaceutical Association issued a statement declaring that it will not participate in consultative body discussions premised on expanding medication delivery, and vowed to fiercely block the push for expansion.

This reaction is interpreted as stemming from concerns that expanding medication delivery would eventually widen the scope to include over-the-counter drugs previously purchased directly at pharmacies without prescriptions, ultimately impacting pharmacy sales.

On the other hand, a celebratory mood has been detected among delivery companies and online ordering platforms.

Major countries such as the United States and Japan already allow the delivery of prescription drugs, and pharmacists sometimes provide medication guidance via telephone or video.

While the Ministry of Health and Welfare plans to broadly discuss concerns regarding quality control of manufactured medicines and medication guidance, a rough path is expected until the law is amended due to fierce opposition from the pharmacist community.

(Camera reporting: Joo Yong-jin | Video editing: Lee Hong-myung)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.