Outline knowledge of the regulations relating to medical stores Inspection and reports
IN MS ACT-Under section VII-Seamen and Apprentices, under sub section-Provisions, Health and Accommodation describes about Medical Stores and inspection by Port Health Officer etc.
The following has been reproduced from MS ACT
172. Bedding, towels, medicines, medical stores, etc., to be provided and kept on board certain ships.-(1) The owner of every ship of over five hundred tons gross shall supply or cause to be supplied to every seaman for his personal use, bedding, towels, mess utensils and other articles according to such scale as may be prescribed; and different scales may be prescribed in respect of different classes of ships.(2) All foreign-going Indian ships and all home-trade ships of two hundred tons gross or more shall have always on guard a sufficient supply of medicines, medical stores, appliances and first aid equipment suitable for disease and accidents likely to occur on voyages according to such scale as may be prescribed.(3) It shall be the duty of the port health officer or such other person as the Central Government may appoint in this behalf to inspect the medicines, medical stores and appliances with which a ship is required to be provided.
173. Certain ships to carry medical officer.-(1) Every foreign-going ship carrying more than the prescribed number of persons (including the crew), shall have on boards part of her complement a medical officer possessing such qualifications as may be prescribed.(2) Nothing in this section shall apply to an unberthed passenger ship or a pilgrim ship.
174. Expenses of medical attendance in case of illness.-(1) If the master of an Indian ship, or a seaman or apprentice, receives any hurt or injury or suffers from any illness (not being a hurt, injury or illness due to his own wilful act or default or to his own misbehaviour), resulting in his being discharged or left behind at a place other than his proper return port, the expenses of providing the necessary surgical and medical advice, attendance and treatment and medicine, and also the expenses of the maintenance of the master, seaman or apprentice until he is cured, or dies, or is brought back to the port from which he was shipped or other port agreed upon after receiving the necessary medical treatment, and of his conveyance to that port, and in case of death, the expenses, if any, of his burial or cremation shall be defrayed by the owner of the ship without any deduction on that account from his wages.(2) If the master, seaman or apprentice is on account of any illness or injury temporarily removed from his ship, at a port other than his proper return port, for the purpose f preventing infection, or otherwise for the convenience of the ship, and subsequently returns to his duty, the expenses of removal and of providing the necessary surgical and medical advice, attendance and treatment and medicine and of his maintenance while away from the ship, shall be defrayed in like manner.(3) The expenses of all medicines, and surgical and medical advice, attendance and treatment, given to a master, seaman or apprentice while on board his ship, shall be defrayed in like manner.(4) In all other cases any reasonable expenses duly incurred by the owner for any master, seaman or apprentice in respect of illness, shall, if proved to the satisfaction of the Indian consular officer or a shipping master, be deducted from, the wages of the master, seaman or apprentice.(5) Where any expenses referred to in this section have been paid by the master, seaman or apprentice himself, the same may be recovered as if they were wages duly earned, and if any such expenses are paid by the Government, the amount shall be a charge upon the ship and may be recovered with full costs of suit by the Central Government.