Supporting Seafarer Health: Medical Compliance Onboard

We often talk about the requirement to be ‘compliant’ onboard, but what does it really mean when we're talking about medicine and ships? How do you know your medical provision onboard is compliant? What are the potential consequences if you’re not compliant? How can you check? 

In this month's blog about supporting seafarer health we are talking about medical compliance - what it means, how you can check if you are compliant, what’s above compliance, and how being compliant could even add to your bottom line?

Medical Compliance on Ships

The definition of compliance is ‘meeting, or in accordance with, rules and standards’. 

In the maritime world compliance impacts on everything from crew being fit and healthy enough to work offshore (an MLC requirement), vessels being sea-worthy, storage/transport of chemicals and toxic substances, navigation, customs… the list goes on. Non-compliance can lead to penalties, significant fines, vessel detention, reputational damage and even criminal charges and imprisonment of individuals.

Consequently, medical compliance can be a long way down that list of priorities and will be different depending on the Flag State the vessel is registered with, the qualifications of the crew onboard and whether it is privately or commercially operated.

As a starting point, let’s take a look at the UK guidance:

The United Kingdom introduced the Merchant Shipping and Fishing Vessel (Medical Stores) Regulations in 1995, and these have seen several sets of amends - at the time of writing it is MSN 1905, amendment 4. The Regulations became part of the UKs retained law in 2019. This Notice implements the updated requirements for medical stores which reflect developments in medical treatments. This forms the basis for what medical stores a commercially operated vessel must carry as a minimum.

Medications must be stored according to the category and class of medication, with controlled drugs (CD) locked in a fixed cupboard with restricted access. All medication transactions, administration, and expiry checks should be clearly recorded and stored for inspection.

Labelling of medications must be clear.

In addition, a medical chest certificate is an annual certification for ships, to verify that their onboard medicine chests contain the correct supplies and equipment as mandated by International Labour Organization (ILO) regulations and the specific flag state. This certificate is issued after an inspection by a qualified pharmacist or pharmacy, ensuring the ship's medical provisions comply with international standards for seafarer health and safety.

Audits and good record keeping is vital

How to Stay Compliant:

• Be proactive. Collaborate with your Flag State and supplier to keep up to date with changes.

• Use designated personnel and technology where possible, to help manage stock usage and expiry dates.

• Remember that the requirements for medicines and equipment can differ, depending on the type of voyage or health risks associated with a particular itinerary.

• Conduct regular audits of your medical supplies and onboard medical facility.

• Make sure that storage and management of controlled drugs and other medications follows the correct requirements.

• Ensure that crew responsible for medical stores are trained in regulatory requirements, including storage, record-keeping, and controlled drug handling.

• Should any discrepancies in the medication logs be noted then immediate reporting to the Master is essential.

• Carry out drills and refresher training onboard to keep all the crew up to date and confident that they can manage a medical situation onboard.

While this guidance reflects UK law, vessel operators should check their own Flag State’s regulations, as these may differ in terms of scope or specific requirements.

If you have any questions about medical compliance, or would like to discuss carrying in a medical audit onboard, please get in touch using the contact form here.