Medical care of seafarers
aceording
to international requirements
In the very middle of summer, on
the eve of the Sea Festival, Marine Medicine Centre was opened in Klaipeda Seafarers’
Hospital. We asked the head doctor of Klaipeda Seafarers’ Hospital Jonas Salyga to tell
the "Jura" readers about the Centre and its activities
Lithuania has ratified the International
Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974-SOLAS –74 and the International
Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978,
as amended in 1995 – STCW-95. In compliance with the requirements of these Conventions a
separate institution for checking the health of seamen and issuing medical documents is to
be founded in each state. This institution is to accumulate data about the health of
seafarers and to issue medical certificates and books for seafarers. The order of issuance
of medical documents and medical examination of seafarers is foreseen in this convention
by paying special attention to the disorders of hearing and eyesight. This is to be stated
by doctors with the relative level of marine knowledge and expertise.
The order of checking seafarers’ health was discussed in the Seimas
Committee of Health, in the Seimas Commission of Marine and Fishing affairs, in the
Ministries of Health and Transport and Communications, in the Harbour Master’s office.
As Klaipeda Seafarers’ Hospital is responsible for the supervision of
seafarers’ health since 1958 and checks seafarers’ health as well as issues medical
documentation, in July a Marine Medicine Centre was founded in the Seafarers’ Hospital.
The Centre not only carries out regular examination of
seafarers. Its activities are much wider. According to the requests of ship owners it
appoints doctors for the work at sea, the specialists from the hospital give extra
consultations by radio for the doctors at sea in case of emergency, train mariners as well
as students of Maritime Institute of Klaipeda University to render the first aid and
medical care according to the program approved by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry
of Transport and Communications. The Centre supplies the vessels with medicines and
medical equipment, checks the supplies, validity terms, storage, controls the delivery,
use and registration of drugs and spirits on vessels, certifies ship medical kits and
issues licenses for the delivery of medicines following the requirements of Pharmacy
department to the Ministry of Health, gives proposals to the Ministry of Health, Klaipeda
Public Health Centre, Harbour Master’s office, ship owners, concerning the improvements
in health protection of seafarers, analysis of sickness at sea and factors that have
negative impact on seafarers‘ health.
28 doctors render their services at sea at the moment and on the
vessels that have no doctors these services are rendered by the navigators who have been
trained in special courses.
It has been stated that more than 20 factors make
negative impact on the human organism at sea and they are: electromagnetic field,
vibration, noise, psycho-emotional irritants, irregular sexual life, etc. The change of
time and climatic zones, work and rest conditions, day and night regime has a negative
effect on the adaptation mechanisms of a human being. According to the data-base, that has
been accumulated in the Seafarers’ Hospital during the years, seafarers most often
suffer from heart and vascular diseases, nerve diseases, respiratory tract disorders,
alimentary canal, urinary diseases. The doctor at sea carries out approximately 80
consultations per month. Having in mind these factors, the seafarers’ health is to be
checked especially carefully as the medical supervision of seafarers is a very specific
area.
When the Seafarers’ Hospital was separated from the Polyclinics the
team of doctors who were checking the seafarers’ health was split. European Legal
department to the Government of the Republic of Lithuania has explained the Directive of
EU Council No 94/58 concerning the requirements of the International Convention on
Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers where it is stated
that general practitioners are not able to carry out the requirements of this
international convention. Seafarers have the right to choose a general practitioner from
any health institution, but the Ministry of Health has authorized the specialists from the
Marine Medicine Centre to carry out regular medical examination of seafarers. It goes
without saying that these specialists have the right to get information from general
practitioners about the state of health of the seafarers and to inform the general
practitioner about the diagnosed disease.
Medical examinations of seafarers are carried out in the Centre every
day from 8 o’clock in the morning and at 3 p.m. the medical documents are already
issued. If there are suspicions that a seafarer might be ill, he is checked using
contemporary medical equipment. The specialists of Marine Medicine Centre use endoscopes
and ultra sounding equipment and in case of necessity they make additional investigations,
consult other specialists. Our main objective is to provide qualified and high quality
services to a seafarer and to give a conclusion if a person is suitable for the work at
sea. In the Centre seafarers are consulted by the specialists of the hospital department
who have experience in the work at sea and on-shore. Their names and samples of signatures
are given to the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
Medical seafarers’ books, international medical
certificates, AIDS test certificates are issued by Marine Medicine Centre.
Besides, prophylactic vaccinations according to epidemiological indices
are made in the Centre and international certificates are issued on vaccination.
Marine Medicine Centre takes part in international programs. We have
signed cooperation agreements with Marine Medicine Centre of Latvia, Estonian Marine
Medicine Centre of the Estonian Seafarers’ Hospital and we cooperate with Marine and
Tropical Medicine Institute in Gdynia (Poland). The specialists of our hospital visited
Marine Medicine Centre in Riga and the Latvians visited us. Mr. S.Tomaszun, the director
of Marine and Tropical Medicine Institute of Gdynia, has recently visited us. Similar
structures are founded in Germany, in Danish port-cities. Our activities are defined by
the requirements of international conventions.
I myself have been checking the health of seafarers for several years,
and had been working at sea before becoming the head of the hospital; therefore I do know
the problems of health of seafarers. I would like to say that the seafarers should not
hide their illnesses and should consult the doctors not only then when they are ill or
need the medical documents, because the health of seafarers has a considerable impact on
successful marine business. |
