[Sejong = E-Daily Reporter Song Joo-oh] A path has been opened for sailors to receive health management through non-face-to-face remote medical consultations even while at sea.
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced on the 14th that they will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with representatives from eight organizations on the 15th to initiate a pilot project known as “Doctor-Link,” which provides remote medical consultations to fishermen, including foreigners.
The “Doctor-Link” project is a health management support initiative aimed at fishermen who are often in a medical blind spot due to the unique nature of working in the open sea, far from land. This project offers assistance throughout the entire fishing operation cycle, including during normal conditions, pre-departure, while at sea, and in emergencies.
The support activities for fishermen’s health management include basic health check-up support, implementation and result management of standard health exams, which every citizen undergoes biennially (and for foreigners upon entry), and assistance for those who have not undergone screening. It also includes pre-departure health checks for long-term operations, remote examinations and treatment for chronic diseases, regular health examinations (weekly, via test kits) during fishing, consultations with doctors if abnormal values occur during regular exams, and emergency first aid and management with the help of physicians. The ministry plans to utilize scientific technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and low-earth orbit satellite communications, for these purposes.
Initially, the project will use the low-earth orbit satellite communication network to conduct a trial operation from May 15 to December this year, targeting approximately 100 coastal fishing vessels and around 1,000 fishermen in the Jeju area. It intends to evaluate the project’s effectiveness and consider an expansion based on the findings.
Choi Hyun-ho, Director-General of the Fisheries Policy at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, stated, “The Doctor-Link project is a systematic health management strategy to prevent the worsening of chronic illnesses, address emergencies, and prevent safety accidents that might occur during sea operations, ultimately saving the lives of fishermen. In particular, we will establish a detailed management system through this pilot project to ensure the health care of foreign fishermen, who might otherwise fall through the cracks.”