Deteriorating seafarer health and poorly-stocked onboard medical chests are major issues concerning maritime medical practitioners, which is why the International Maritime Medical Association (IMMA) has developed an App-driven Maritime Medical Stores Catalog designed to ensure that vessel owners and managers are meeting obligations when it comes to looking after the health of their crew.
More than 1,500 companies have already downloaded this tool to purchase medical and health-related items needed onboard ship.
IMMA’s catalog app features more than 5,000 health and well-being products, from aspirin and cough medicine to disinfectants and stretchers. Users are able to order medical supplies at the press of a button, using the app’s unique ordering system from wherever they may be in the world.
This app has a section on recommended medicines as well as a ‘doctor’s bag’ of necessary medicines that should be available at any time on board a ship. The medicine section can also be interrogated by health compliant such as what medicines should be taken for motion sickness or indigestion or coughs etc. while there is a list of emergency and nonemergency medical equipment that should be used.
A useful guide as to what medicines should form part of onboard medical kits is also included as well as a section on alcohol and drug testing as well as waste management and cleaning equipment – all part of working to preventing disease onboard ship.
All medicines listed have an IMMA number which owners and managers can quote when ordering from their ship suppliers or chandlers.
The IMMA Maritime Medical Stores Catalog can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play Store.