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View all search resultsDigitizing healthcare is the new normal
In Indonesia, more than 2 million people reportedly have already used telemedicine services and the figure is growing.
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W
e have been fighting the COVID-19 pandemic for almost seven months since the first positive case was announced on March 2. In strategizing healthcare during the pandemic, an initiative of enabling patients to virtually visit their physicians, instead of face-to-face, has been endorsed to push down the virus transmission.
Such practice is essentially called telemedicine, which ranges from e-medical diagnosis to e-prescriptions.
Many providers of telemedicine continually try to enhance their services in response to the “new normal”, and closely collaborate with the relevant authorities and stakeholders while engaging in co-regulation to make the most of telemedicine and e-health, which are thriving during this pandemic.
The Indonesia Healthtech Association (Healthtech.id), for instance, has routinely organized webinars to discuss and offer key recommendations, collaborative programs and advocacy in flattening the COVID-19 curve as quickly as possible by empowering data-driven strategies.
They bring to the table all contesting issues with regard to telemedicine, such as health information exchanges, electronic prescribing rules and rates, electronic medication management, legal liability and data processing compliance, reimbursements for services, limitation of medical practice license, and how to nudge people and policymakers to adapt to changes to healthcare access through technology.
Fortunately, the Health Ministry decided on April 29 to temporary waive rules on telemedicine, based on circular letter No. 303/2020 and Indonesia Medical Council Regulation No. 74/2020. Previously, telemedicine was mostly the domain of healthcare facilities (e.g. hospitals) and not directly relevant in interactions between physicians and patients (see Ministerial Regulation No. 20/2019 on telemedicine).
For now, and during this pandemic, direct e-consultation, e-medication and e-prescription between doctor and patient are to be experienced with some guidance and limitations.
