Head of IP & TMT Adrian Tan was interviewed for a news article published in the 13-14 July 2019 weekend edition of the Business Times on telemedicine.

He said that complicating matters is how many of these platforms do not employ their own doctors, but tap “freelance” doctors who have their own medical practices. This is roughly similar to how ride-hailing firms like Uber use freelance drivers.

“This places a huge burden on the platform and the gig doctor to ensure that the patient’s background is sufficiently known – for example, if the patient has any allergies or has some relevant medical history which the gig doctor should learn about, before prescribing medicine,” he added.

According to Adrian, with the emerging crop of providers tapping cutting-edge technologies, regulators will need to be nimble. He said: “Startups can think of one crazy idea and have it up and running in a short time, without any thought about safeguards. Legislators cannot possibly foresee all the ways the world is changing… Lawyers will always be playing catch-up with entrepreneurs.”

The story can be found here: https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/brunch/the-doctor-is-online-why-telemedicine-apps-need-to-tread-with-caution