Ministry Expands "24-Hour Free Remote Medical Care" for Coastal Vessels...Support Now Includes Foreign Seafarers

LTE-M-Based Video Medical Service Expanded to 137 Vessels
Support in 20 Languages and On-Site Training Conducted in Parallel

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries is pushing to expand its "24-hour free remote medical support service" that uses the ultra-high-speed maritime wireless communication network (LTE-M) for marine navigation. The measure is aimed at improving medical access for crew members on coastal vessels, such as inshore fishing boats and coastal cargo ships, that operate within 100 km of land.

According to the ministry on February 8, since 2023 it has been providing medical support services such as health management consultations via video calls and first-aid guidance for coastal vessels equipped with remote medical support devices, in cooperation with Pusan National University Hospital. The project is evaluated as having contributed to improving medical welfare at sea by providing a total of 1,877 instances of medical support to crew members working on 127 coastal vessels through last year.

The remote medical support equipment consists of a tablet with a dedicated application installed, medical devices, and first-aid medicines. Through the app, users can not only make video calls but also enter health indicators, make consultation appointments, and check the results.

Starting this year, the service will be available to foreign seafarers as well, by supporting 20 languages including Vietnamese and Indonesian, and the number of participating vessels will be expanded by adding 10 more through a call for applications in February, bringing the total to 137. In addition, medical staff will regularly visit vessels to provide education and outreach for elderly seafarers, and the ministry plans to continuously monitor how the service is being used.

Han Seunghyun, head of the Advanced Maritime Traffic Management Team at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, said, "For seafarers who live at sea for long periods, it has been difficult to receive prompt medical support, which has limited our ability to secure the golden time for first aid," adding, "By expanding the maritime remote medical support project, we will improve access to medical services for both domestic and foreign seafarers and help enhance working conditions at sea."

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