Telemedicine in Indonesia: Perspective of Ethic, Discipline and Law

Abstract

Today, science and information communication technology in the era of globalization are developing rapidly. The existence of information technology makes the world more easily connected regardless of distance and time. As one of the developing countries in Southeast Asia, Indonesia is trying to catch up with the development of science and technology, including telemedicine, and technological advancement in the field of medical services. Telemedicine services provide an opportunity to practice medicine without distance constraints, especially in remote areas where medical staff are scarce. Although it brings many benefits, the rapid development of telemedicine in Indonesia also creates various problems, especially those related to ethic, discipline, and legal issues. This study aims to determine the implementation of telemedicine in Indonesia in terms of ethics, discipline, and law. The type of research used in this article is normative legal research (normative juridical) and the approach method used is the statutory approach. The data collection technique used in this research is through literature study. From an ethical point of view, health services through telemedicine by doctors to patients do not take into account the principles of medical ethics. Meanwhile, telemedicine services with the purpose of communication or consultation and supervision between medical staff (doctors) generally do not have ethical problems as long as the roles and responsibilities of each party are regulated. From a disciplinary point of view, telemedicine services cannot follow standard operating procedures because doctors do not perform physical examinations directly on patients. In telemedicine services, doctors cannot perform a complete physical examination and lege artist. Meanwhile, in terms of legal aspects, the laws and regulations related to the implementation of telemedicine currently still regulate things that are general and considered essential. There are no specific regulations that regulate online health practices, especially regarding the standard of devices used, online prescribing, and protection against malpractice incidents in online health consulting services (telemedicine). Therefore, the government needs to take quick steps to formulate more comprehensive and detailed regulations related to telemedicine services in Indonesia so that in the future, the implementation of telemedicine can run better while still paying attention to the interests and safety of patients, applicable legal signs, as well as protection for medical and health personnel.