At the best of times, maintaining the mental and physical health of the crew of ships is a challenge, based on their inherent nature and the hazards associated with the job, as well as the ship’s proximity to ready shore assistance. Add a global pandemic and the situation becomes bankrupt.
Seafarers are an important workforce for the global economy: some 1.5 million people work day and night, ensuring the safe and efficient transport of more than 90% of the goods moving around the world.
This fact has never been more evident than during the recent COVID-19 pandemic, which shut down many industries and countries around the world, leaving seafarers as the main channel to support trade.
Although “sea transport” is considered essential in almost all countries with access to waterways, in many cases the raw materials and finished goods carried by ship are welcomed ashore, but the men and women who deliver them in many cases are not.
The plight of the seafarer has become even more in the spotlight during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the seafarer has historically been “out of sight, out of sight” by the general public, when global supply chains are upside down, the value of the world’s merchant marine and the people who run them begins to crystallize. However, this importance is not reflected in the treatment of this group, as many ports around the world refuse to allow seafarers ashore to change crews for fear of a possible injection of COVID-19.
The remote nature of this work environment defines them as a “hard-to-reach” group of the population. And the vulnerability of these seafarers makes their health and well-being a public health concern and priority. However, their collective well-being is an underserved aspect of the global supply chain and, if left unchecked, could put us all at risk.
While most of the focus today is on stopping the spread of COVID-19, some view the stress on seafarers as an equally serious situation.
“Research shows that one in five sailors have considered self-harm. About 85 seafarers die at work every month. Of these, about five committed suicide. These are staggering statistics and we should be completely ashamed. ” “Our industry talks about safety all the time, but the numbers say we can’t complete the delivery because a big part of keeping a ship safe is a crew that is happy, respected and supportive.”
“Probably the biggest and most worrying issue on board during this challenging time is not even COVID-19, but mental health issues related to the situation.” “Seafarers feel isolated and find it difficult to get news from home, so they are not sure if their loved ones are safe or have been affected by the pandemic. On the other hand, they also fear what will happen if they get sick on board, during the pandemic, many ports have closed and do not accept COVID-infected non-residents. Most healthcare facilities have limited capacity. All of these circumstances, of course, create additional anxiety that exacerbates the usual problems that cause mental health problems on board. ”
New problem Demanding new solutions
Believing that “necessity is the mother of invention”, maritime medical services companies were busy creating new solutions to help seafarers and shipowners in times of need.
“We recommend that everyone wear a mask (on the ship); if you wear a mask, it will reduce the risk of transmission. ” “In just the past five months, we have learned more about this virus than about any disease that has existed in the history of the planet in a similar period of time, but we still have to find out.”
Today the main questions are:
• When can I return to work on the ship
• How can asymptomatic people prevent transmission of infection to immunocompromised people?
• Do we allow a captain who already has a medical condition such as diabetes and / or hypertension to go back because he / she is at a higher risk of serious illness if infected? “There are many more questions.”
The problem for the maritime industry (and others) is that owners and operators want an algorithm that makes treatment predictable. “But it’s not like that. You wake up every day and this is a different algorithm that is difficult to apply in any industry, especially in the shipping industry. ”
Telemedicine on ships
Since medical care on board ships is a challenge at the best of times, how to make the most of modern telemedicine, perhaps the worst. Telemedicine is a terrific tool, especially on a ship, “telemedicine or nothing else.”
It is a great tool in certain conditions, for example as a verification tool so that you can weed out people who do not need a medical facility ashore faster. It is also a useful tool for screening people with chronic conditions. In addition, he recommends:
1. IDENTIFICATION: First of all, it is very important to identify your medical officer on board and distribute your medical officers widely throughout the fleet so that each ship has someone with some medical experience, ideally.
2. PLAN AHEAD: Plan ahead for a potential COVID-19 (or other) medical emergency so you know your options ahead of time. For example, if you are sailing from Hawaii to Long Beach, know where to head east or west. If you are more knowledgeable, you can give your telemedicine provider a clearer picture and better options.
3. STOCK: Owners should review their on-board medication cabinets and go “above minimum level” to allow more treatment flexibility if needed.
