The MTWTU was approached by a seafarer claiming that the shipowner had neglected the telemedicine regulations on board and failed to provide proper medical care on time.
To prevent you from experiencing a similar situation, we asked Oleksandr Ignatiev, MD, professor at the Ukrainian Research Institute of Transport Medicine, how telemedicine should function in practice.Telemedicine is one of the five mandatory elements of medical care on board a ship. Studies show that 60% of cases that theoretically require seafarers' evacuation can be resolved via telemedicine and another 20% - without crew changeThe shipowner is responsible for the availability of all necessary medicines, but the Master or an authorized person is in charge of the timely and effective attraction of telemedicine doctors.Each country has a Telemedical Maritime Assistance Service (TMAS). The regulatory framework of the country of TMAS operation influences the minimum medicines kit and seafarers' health check regulation, as this arises from the implementation of the legal requirements. However, this does not impact the common and only goal - to provide medical counseling to the seafarer in the shortest possible time, as well as to prescribe an appropriate action plan: whether help is needed on shore, whether evacuation is necessary, etc.In an attempt to save money, some shipowners use only telemedicine services and do not send the seafarer ashore for a specialized examination. In such cases, it is important for seafarers to immediately contact ITF inspectors, so they can help to resolve the issue.Contact information for all ITF inspectors can be found via the link: https://www.itfseafarers.org/en/look-up
Moreover, with the ITF SEAFARERS app downloaded, the list of ITF inspectors will be available even without an Internet connection.
