South Korea is mulling whether to allow prescription drugs to be delivered to all patients who receive remote medical care—a move that would significantly expand telemedicine as the country prepares to make the practice a permanent part of its health care system in December.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare said recently that it would begin discussions on broadening eligibility for prescription delivery as part of an effort to make medicines more accessible. Telemedicine is scheduled to be formally institutionalized on Dec. 24th under revisions to the country’s Medical Service Act. However, under the rules currently planned, drug delivery will remain limited to certain patients, including residents of islands and remote areas, people receiving long-term care, people with disabilities, and patients with infectious or rare diseases.

In preparation for the December rollout, the government is crafting regulations that would allow eligible patients to receive medicines primarily from nearby community pharmacies while prohibiting pharmacies devoted exclusively to filling prescriptions from telemedicine services.

The government now wants to consider going further, eventually allowing anyone receiving remote medical treatment to have prescribed medicines delivered. Such an expansion would require additional revisions to laws including the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act and the Medical Service Act, meaning it won’t be in place when the new telemedicine system begins in December.

South Korean officials are also examining safeguards intended to ensure that remotely prescribed medicines reach patients safely, including quality-control standards for dispensed drugs and procedures for confirming receipt.

The debate is expected to bring together government agencies, pharmacists and telemedicine companies, whose interests have often diverged over how rapidly remote health care should expand. The Health Ministry plans to establish a public-private consultative body involving the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, the Office for Government Policy Coordination, pharmacy groups and telemedicine intermediaries.

“For drug delivery to cover all telemedicine patients, amendments to other laws are necessary,” an unnamed health ministry official said. “When the system takes effect in December, only the currently designated groups will initially be able to receive medicines remotely.”

Additionally, the government is attempting to make it easier for patients to locate pharmacies carrying prescribed drugs. Information provided to telemedicine platforms about pharmacies’ purchasing and dispensing of medicines will be updated more frequently instead of on the current weekly cycle.

The changes reflect the next challenge in South Korea’s transition from temporary remote-care arrangements to a permanent telemedicine system. Instead of just allowing patients to see a doctor without having to visit a clinic, officials are seeking to determine how far the rest of the medical experience — including obtaining prescription drugs — should follow them online.