The MARINA – STCW Office conducted a coordination meeting with the Health Facilities and Services Regulatory Bureau (HFSRB) of the Department of Health (DOH). The meeting is part of MARINA’s commitment to actively collaborate with partner agencies to sustain the full and complete implementation of the STCW Convention, 1978, as amended.

The HFSRB is the service unit of the DOH responsible for the accreditation of Medical Facilities for Overseas Workers and Seafarers (MFOWS) and recognition of Medical Practitioners (MPs) assessing the medical fitness of seafarers for service at sea.

The meeting provided the opportunity to refresh on the requirements of Regulation I/9 on Medical Standards. Concerns related to enrolment of MFOWS and MPs in the surveillance, accreditation and monitoring information system (SAM-IS) of MARINA was also discussed. Issues encountered from actual medical certificates submitted by seafarers and the corresponding information encoded by MFOWS in the MARINA Integrated Seafarers Management Online (MISMO) System were also jointly reviewed to streamline the process of issuance of Certificates of Competency (COC) and Certificates of Proficiencies (COP) to seafarers.

Attendees from STCW Office were led by Executive Director Samuel L. Batalla, Deputy Executive Director Capt. Vicente C. Navarro. On the side of DOH, representatives from HFSRB were led by their OIC Director Engr. Annette B. Tan, RN.

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