TELECONSULTS PUT TO THE TEST

MOH studying potential lapses by providers; doctors, patients must see and hear each other

- Lee Li Ying Correspondent and Elise Wong

• Telehealth operators have started offering a new class of weight-loss drugs with the potential to help the obese shed the kilos quickly. The Sunday Times signed up for consultations with seven providers, and took a look at how operators manage the risks of people lying to get drugs they don't need.

The Ministry of Health is looking into potential lapses by telehealth platforms in the provision of online consultations.

This comes after The Sunday Times consulted seven platforms that offered popular weight-loss drugs in July, and found two instances where cameras were not turned on.

Asked about this, MOH said cameras are necessary to establish a proper doctor-patient relationship, and to provide similar quality and standard of care as in-person medical care.

"We would have to look into these breaches, why they happened and if there were any mitigating factors," said a spokesman.

Under the Healthcare Services Act, teleconsultations must be "conducted using two-way, interactive, audio-visual communications in real time".

The operators in question told ST that they are reviewing the instances flagged.

Despite the lapses, the ministry pointed out that telemedicine promises a more efficient way to ensure healthcare becomes accessible and affordable.

"As with any new business model or technology, there will be lapses, even abuse, but we should still embrace it, regulate it, and make it work for the benefit of the public we serve."

The telehealth industry has been in the spotlight, with the authorities clamping down on clinically and ethically inappropriate practices by MaNaDr Clinic. Lapses include teleconsultations that lasted one minute or less.

Separately, MOH and the Health Sciences Authority also sent a joint circular to medical providers on Nov 22 reminding them of the need to comply with telemedicine guidelines.