In response to the rising coronavirus pandemic, some parents are afraid of taking their children to the doctor since the  Level 3 COVID-19 alert has been raised from May 19. Huang Sih-chao pediatrics clinic, which located in the west district of Chia-yi city, uses telemedicine to quickly grasp patient's condition and provide appropriate treatment. The family doctor can thus expand the practice by seeing patients remotely and provide health services for citizens.
After the suspension of kindergartens due to the COVID-19 pandemic, An-an suddenly had fever over a period of time. Her parents were worried about the potential risks of taking An-an to the doctor and thus consulted Dr. Huang over the phone at once. With the help from pediatrician and nursing staff, An-an was found to have ulcers on the back of the throat and was diagnosed as having ‘Enterovirus’. Dr. Huang then informed the parents of relevant signs and wrote the prescription. An-an was thus able to make it through the high fever during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed people’s behavior in seeking medical care. From May 2021, NHIA has expanded the telemedicine services in healthcare institutions. The zero-contact telemedicine offers multiple and convenient services and reduces unnecessary visits to healthcare institutions, which overall lower the risk of being infected. By June 2021, 55 hospitals and 1386 clinics in Yunlin, Chiayi and Tainan areas have been listed as institutions that offer telemedicine services.
According to NHIA, people who seek medical care during the COVID-19 pandemic can download NHI APP, search for counties/ cities and township/district in the section of ‘inquiries about healthcare institutions (telemedicine)’ and find nearby health institutions that offer telemedicine services. Since the telemedicine services depend on the capacity of each healthcare institution, it is recommended that phone calls be made before the appointment.