Organizational and legal basis for the formation of a register of medical organizations conducting medical examinations of water transport workers in the Russian Federation

OBJECTIVE. Justification for the need to create a unified register of medical organizations for conducting preliminary and periodic medical examinations of water transport workers in the context of ensuring transport safety and compliance with international standards.

MATERIALS AND METHODS. An analysis was conducted of the current Russian and foreign regulatory framework and systemic problems in conducting preliminary and periodic medical examinations of water transport workers in the Russian Federation. The functions and powers of the FMBA of Russia and the newly created National Center for the Health Protection of Seafarers and Divers were examined. Approaches for including medical organizations in the register were proposed.

RESULTS. Systemic problems have been identified in the existing medical examination system: insufficient standardization of requirements for medical organizations, fragmented data, and poor quality of implementation. The key role of preliminary and periodic medical examinations as elements of transport safety affecting the health of crew, passengers, the safety of ships, cargo, and the environment is noted. The relevance of creating a register to solve these problems and achieving the goals of the Transport Strategy and Maritime Doctrine of the Russian Federation is justified.

DISCUSSION. It has been proposed that the registry operator should be the National Center for the Protection of Seafarers’ and Divers’ Health, established by the FMBA of Russia, which has already implemented an effective model of a departmental registry that can be scaled up to the federal level. The main criteria for including medical organizations in the registry have been defined: specialization in providing services in the field of maritime medicine, the availability of appropriately qualified medical personnel and material and technical resources, document management and reporting systems, internal quality control, the ability to provide medical services in a timely manner, and compliance with ethical and legal aspects. The need for active participation of seafarers’ professional unions in quality control of registered organizations’ services and conflict resolution is justified. The risks of bureaucratization are noted, but the positive experience of centralized systems (basin hospitals) and the strategic importance of the register for the restoration of the maritime medicine system in accordance with the concept of its development until 2030 are emphasized.

CONCLUSION. The creation of a centralized register of medical organizations for the examination of water transport workers is a strategically important and urgent task, the solution of which will contribute to improving the quality of medical examinations, compliance with international requirements, strengthening transport safety in water transport, and digitizing the medical support system for maritime activities.

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