MANILA – The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), through the STCW Office, together with the Department of Health (DOH) jointly conducted a Re-orientation for Medical Facilities for Overseas Workers and Seafarers (MFOWS) and DOH-accredited Medical Practitioners on 18 May 2023.

The re-orientation aims to discuss the policies relating to the assessment of medical fitness of seafarers for service at sea. It also targets to address concerns and issues including the format of the Pre-Employment Medical Examination (PEME) of medical certificates issued by MFOWS, standard assessment for eye-sight and hearing, enrolment with SAM-IS, and encoding of medical examination results in MISMO, among others.

STCW Office OIC Deputy Executive Director Capt. Vicente C. Navarro stated in his opening remarks that DOH and MARINA organized this meeting to refresh everyone’s understanding of the standards and policies, especially the issuance of the PEME format of medical certificates for seafarers.

“Under Regulation I/9, it is an obligation of our country as a signatory or party to the STCW Convention to ensure that medical standards are being properly implemented in medical facilities and religiously observed by medical practitioners conducting assessment of medical fitness of seafarers for service at sea,” Capt. Navarro said.

For her part, Engr. Annette B. Tan, RN, OIC Director of the DOH – Health Facilities and Services Regulatory Bureau (HFSRB) emphasized that it is essential to enhance communication and collaboration between relevant stakeholders, including seafarers, medical professionals, maritime authorities, and training institutions.

“The country’s seafaring industry has succeeded in the gainful employment of thousands of Filipino marine officers in foreign-going vessels. As such, the evaluation of PEME medical certificates plays a critical role in maintaining the standards required for seafaring. It ensures the seafarers are physically and mentally fit to perform their duties. Thus, mitigating ways to their health and safety, as well as the safety of the vessels they serve on,” Engr. Tan said in her closing remarks.

“It is imperative that we work together to establish standardized protocols and guidelines for the assessment of PEME certificates. This will ensure the evaluation are conducted in uniformity, and that the results are credible and consistent,” she added.

The MARINA assures the public that it remains committed to strengthening its collaboration with the DOH to enhance the medical assessment policies for seafarers.

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