Seniors Line Up for 'Doctor Bus'… Moving Beyond Mobile Clinics to Telemedicine

[Anchor]

In the Gyeongnam region, concerns over medical service gaps in rural and fishing villages are growing due to an aging population combined with a shortage of public health doctors. To bridge these gaps, the introduction of a telemedicine system is being pursued, following the mobile "Doctor Bus" service.

KNN reporter Jeong Hyo-jeong has the story.

[Reporter]

Seniors line up to have their blood pressure and blood sugar checked before boarding a bus equipped with medical staff.

This is the "Doctor Bus," a mobile clinic service for rural residents who find it difficult to visit hospitals.

[Lee Chi-woo (73) / Muan-myeon, Miryang: It is a huge help when they come to our local area, considering the transportation issues and costs involved in visiting a major hospital.]

Services including ophthalmology, otolaryngology, and urology are provided free of charge.

[Son Yoon-young (77) / Cheongdo-myeon, Miryang: As we get older, I think it would be great to receive these services and check-ups more frequently.]

However, these visits are limited to consultations and cannot provide prescriptions, making them different from actual hospital treatment.

To address this, the Gyeongnam provincial government will officially launch "Island Doctor," a telemedicine service, in island areas along the southern coast starting next month.

Residents can receive medical consultations via video-call kiosks installed in community centers, and even receive prescriptions and have medication delivered to them.

[Song Young-hoon / Director of Fishing Village Development, Gyeongnam Provincial Government: Since all medical and prescription costs are fully covered, we expect a significant reduction in the financial burden on residents.]

Currently, there are 231 public health doctors in Gyeongnam, with only 40% of them assigned to island and mountainous regions.

Therefore, such remote medical systems are expected to be of considerable help in areas where medical support is difficult to access.

However, critics point out that there are clear limitations, as this is not a fundamental solution.

[Ma Sang-hyuk / Chairman of the Public Medical Countermeasures Committee of the Gyeongnam Provincial Council (Medical Specialist): Especially for the elderly, even if there are changes in their condition, they may not be able to recognize them during remote consultations. Therefore, such treatment may not be appropriate for the patient.]

The Gyeongnam provincial government plans to actively utilize the remote medical system as a supplementary medical safety net alongside the Doctor Bus once the systems are installed in 44 island areas by the end of August.

(Video coverage: Jeong Chang-wook)

Reported by Jeong Hyo-jeong | KNN
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.