Telemedicine in Taiwan?

I have a routine doctor’s appointment coming up and due to the COVID situation would like to avoid going to the hospital when it shouldn’t be necessary. Does anyone know if telemedicine is a thing in Taiwan and how one might go about arranging a phone visit with their doctor?

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I have done it with a physio who happens to be a friend but I don’t think it’s common and have never heard of anybody else doing it.

I honestly don’t think this is going to happen. On the upside, I’d expect hospitals to be pretty quiet in the next few days. There were some detailed posts about it at the start of last year - they were basically a ghost town.

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I asked the therapist about it. He said Taiwan’s legal framework don’t really support telemedicine. But I expect this could change if COVID gets much worse.

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I’m guessing this was not hands on physio? I must be more broken than I thought as I’ve never had no contact physio.

For someone’s information

Rules of Medical Diagnosis and Treatment by Telecommunications

https://health.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=A2CA1F0E7CD33CB1&sms=4E598A19194EA548&s=AA9E4552738B7B71
臺北市政府衛生局因應疫情指定醫療機構提供通訊診療服務

Just go to neighborhood clinic, most people wouldn’t go unless urgency now. You probably won’t need to wait to see a doctor.
In US, telemedicine is not really helpful with lots limitation. It would be easy just go to neighborhood clinic.

My appointment is for a follow-up with my doctor relating to an ongoing treatment. This is not a clinic type issue.

I disagree 1000% about telemedicine not being helpful. I used it in the US and it’s great. Obviously, a doctor isn’t going to diagnose many things remotely but for visits relating to health issues that have already been diagnosed and that you’re being treated for you don’t always need to be seen physically.

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How do you do physio through a phone? Thats a logistical oxymoron if i ever heard one haha

In Hualien

花蓮慈濟醫院從今天起至5月28日止,提供遠距診療服務,讓所有就醫需求的民眾都可以透過視訊方式看診,不需要進入醫院。

They’re really behind on this stuff. I had my appointment and it was not a good look in the hospital. I felt like I was the only person who knew there was an outbreak happening.

It looks like they are going to set up a telemedicine infrastructure in the coming weeks…

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