Expansion of Marine Remote Medical Services to a Total of 100 Deep-Sea Vessels

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced on the 27th that it has decided to add 20 vessels to this year's pilot project for marine telemedicine support, enabling crew members on distant-sea vessels such as deep-sea fishing boats to use medical services more conveniently.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries received applications for marine telemedicine support target vessels from shipping companies from the 10th to the 20th and selected 20 additional vessels based on selection criteria. Accordingly, a total of 100 vessels will be targeted for the pilot project this year.

Since 2015, the marine telemedicine support pilot project has been a healthcare service that systematically manages the health status of crew members through satellite communication between vessels and the Marine Telemedicine Center (Pusan National University Hospital) and provides real-time telemedicine services in case of emergencies.

Through this pilot project, last year, telemedicine services were provided to 80 deep-sea vessels and 1,912 crew members, including 649 emergency and treatment guidance cases, 9,087 health consultations, and 394 medical consultations, totaling 10,130 telemedicine services. Additionally, 1,127 medical consultations were provided to vessels not eligible for marine telemedicine support.

Lee Jong-ho, Director of the Crew Policy Division at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, said, "We expect the level of medical welfare for crew members to improve significantly by promptly responding to emergencies on board through marine telemedicine services," and added, "The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries will continue to expand and promote the marine telemedicine support pilot project to enhance the medical welfare level of crew members."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.