Coronavirus crisis puts ‘telemedicine’ back in the picture for long-time advocates in Hong Kong but others warn of pitfalls

E-consultation allows patients to be seen and diagnosed remotely by doctors via electronic communication such as video conferencing

While the technology has caught on in United States and some European countries, it has yet to enjoy the same appeal in Hong Kong

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Repeat patients with stable conditions could be spared long queues at the clinic. Photo: Nora Tam

Published: 8:00am, 17 Mar 2020Updated: 8:27am, 17 Mar 2020

Hong Kong’s medical watchdog has come under increasing pressure to clarify its rules on remote and electronic consultations, as patients turn to technology to reduce social contact and avoid infection during the coronavirus pandemic.

Covid-19, which has infected 157 people in the city and killed four, has driven up demand for telemedicine and reignited debate in the medical sector on the merits of embracing this emerging technology, according to industry advocates.

Telemedicine, or E-consultation, allows patients to be seen and diagnosed remotely by doctors via electronic communication such as video conferencing. Patients can also send photos of their injuries or illnesses to health care professionals to get some quick medical advice.

Hong Kong’s public hospitals have used limited video-based consultation since 1998 for some patients such as residents of homes for the elderly. The method has recently been extended to psychiatric patients and those in need of occupational and physiotherapy, to lower coronavirus infection risks.

While the technology has caught on in the United States and some European countries, it has yet to find the same appeal in Hong Kong, with some experts blaming the lack of a local appetite on high accessibility to family doctors, and unclear rules of the Medical Council, the regulatory body of the profession.

But the coronavirus crisis has shifted the debate in the industry, according to Felix Lee Kar-chung, executive director of UMP Healthcare Holdings, which provides medical and health care services in Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China.

Lee, a long-time advocate of telemedicine, said demand for video-based consultations had soared.

“The public is warming to the idea of telemedicine as many are concerned about getting infected with the coronavirus when visiting clinics and hospitals,” he said.