VIKAND partners with UK P&I Club on proactive medical care for seafarers

(Posted on 18/01/24)

VIKAND, a global leader in maritime healthcare, has partnered with the UK P&I Club for a year-long trial of OneHealth by VIKAND. OneHealth is VIKAND’s comprehensive, proactive approach to maritime health, wellness and health risk mitigation.

This unique platform is designed to maximise the physical and mental health of crew members by giving them anytime, anywhere access to proactive healthcare support, with policies, services and solutions that address physical and mental health, sleep, nutrition, air quality, safety, productivity and more.

The trial, known as the coLab Project, is set to involve up to 100 vessels operated by UK P&I Club members. Each participating ship will enjoy access to the OneHealth platform, including monthly House Doctor Calls, which takes telehealth to a whole new level. These are comprehensive monthly video calls between VIKAND and onboard leadership to review the crew’s state of health and proactively address any issues.

“I’m delighted that the UK P&I Club has joined this important trial, which will demonstrate how a crew asset management approach can help reduce the number of incidents that lead to claims,” says Ronald Spithout, Managing Director of OneHealth by VIKAND. “It also demonstrates a shipowner’s commitment to making seafarers feel valued, at a time when industry analysts predict a coming labour shortfall.”

This trial will also set the tone for ESG excellence in commercial shipping by positioning OneHealth as a valuable tool for mitigating cost and risk. The goal is to show that investing in health and wellbeing can impact a company’s bottom line no differently than investing in a ship’s engine, hull or any other critical piece of infrastructure.

As Stuart Edmonston, Loss Prevention Director for the UK P&I Club, explains: “The coLab Project aims to show that structural, proactive healthcare at sea can reduce the frequency, severity and costs of health-related claims. Data gathered during this trial could also help create bespoke OneHealth packages for UK P&I Club members.

Sophia Grant, Crew Health Programme Director at the UK P&I Club concluded: “Improving the physical and mental health of crew members is not only the right thing to do, as they are the backbone of shipping operations, it clearly makes good commercial sense through reducing costs, improving productivity and increasing retention. Using digital solutions is a proven route for improving access to vital healthcare services in many other sectors and we look forward to reviewing the impact that the One Health trial has on our members’ crews.”