Over 400 crew members of the Spanish tuna fleet participate in the second stage of the first telemedicine system onboard a fishery
The fleet has provided training to masters, captains and officers and has put the first telemedicine equipment and monitoring devices on board
More than 400 crew members on 12 Spanish tuna fleet vessels operating in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, are participating in the second stage of the first pilot project of a fishery worldwide to implement a telemedicine system [1] on board.
The first stage (needs analysis) began last January. In this second stage, the fleet, forming part of the Organisation of Producers of Frozen Tuna (OPAGAC), has provided training to 29 masters, captains and deck officers on the use of the medical equipment that has already been put on board the vessels and that shall enable a basic examination of the patient to be done remotely by the medical services of the Nuestra Señora de Fátima Hospital of the Vithas Group in Vigo.
This project, the latest initiative of this fleet to continue making progress in the development of its social sustainability policy, shall be carried out under real working conditions on board the tuna vessels for nine months after the installation of the telemedicine equipment. The devices, similar to those used by the Armed Forces, have an instrument to monitor vital signs (electrocardiogram, arterial pressure, oxygen saturation and temperature) and a camera for dermatoscopic examination.
