A medical condition, easily managed on shore, may well make a candidate unsuitable for a seafaring life. It is not fair to the individual, his ship mates or his employer for him or her to carry a potentially dangerous condition to sea sometimes many miles and days away from advanced medical attention.
MRI has established a reputation as the leading consultancy in the field of maritime Pre Employment Medical Examination Programmes (PEMEs). We have more than ten years’ experience of designing and implementing these programmes and advise a number of P & I Associations and Ship Owners and Managers on their recommended schemes. For some we provide the medical advice on a consultancy basis, while for others we administer the scheme fully, looking after all aspects including the keeping of records.
This is a specialised and complex area of Occupational Health involving International and Union politics, Shipping Company crewing policies and Insurance aspects. We will visit and audit clinics in the country involved and check their local accreditation and facilities. We will advise on the correct and accepted medical protocols for examinations adjusted for ethnicity and age. We will negotiate a price for the different examinations and try to harmonise these in country, and even sometimes across borders.
Our Medical Director will act as a final arbiter in cases of difficulty or doubt, always leaving the final decision to the client. We will monitor the efficiency and effectiveness of the scheme, gathering monthly statistics from the clinics, and pointing out where it is not working well.
We presently run PEME Schemes represented in the following countries: Philippines, Indonesia, India, Ukraine, Russia, Croatia, Baltic States, and Poland.