Halcyon implements improvements on services for Odfjell crew

Halcyon Marine Healthcare Systems, the provider of medical examinations for Odfjell's Filipino crew, partnered with the Crewing office in Manila to develop several solutions that will address the concerns raised by Odfjell's Filipino crew.
 

New measures

Head of Crewing Agnes Enesio recently met with Dra. Glennda Canlas, Halcyon's President and Medical Director, to develop solutions for delivering better services for the Odfjell Filipino crew. Among the initial measures are:

• Halcyon will check the waiting and processing time of all Odfjell crew who have undergone pre-employment medical examination (PEME) on a monthly basis and submit a report to Odfjell. Odfjell, in turn, through the Crewing department, will monitor if any improvements have been achieved.
• Crewing will investigate if the report shows any particularly long waiting or processing time.
• Halcyon will provide Odfjell a list of crew referred to specialists, with justification on the need for referral.
• Halcyon will also come up with a report on the trend of medical issues experienced by Odfjell crew and the rest of the industry. This will give Odfjell an overview of the standing of our ‘aged’ crew pool versus all others in the industry.
• Odfjell crew members are now required to utilize Halcyon's online registration facility so they will not have to line up in order to register.
• There are also plans to invite Halcyon to the crew and allottees conferences to discuss health matters and to share tips on how to adjust habits and lifestyle to pass PEME with ease.

Accreditation of additional clinics

As much as Odfjell would like to have additional PEME clinics for its crew, the company is bound by certain rules. Odfjell cannot utilize a clinic unless it is accredited by both GARD, our insurance provider, and the Norwegian Maritime Directorate (NMD), because this is a specific requirement for our manned vessels. There are only a few clinics in Manila that have received accreditation from NMD.

In the provinces, however, there is an ongoing accreditation of PEME clinics. We now have an accredited clinic in Iloilo for our crewmembers residing in the area. Accreditation of possible clinics in Cebu is also in the works.
 

Close monitoring

Crewing has been closely monitoring the progress of both Halycon's improved processes, as well as the accreditation of clinics. As the VP - Head of Crewing has said, the office is committing to pay attention to what matters most to the seafarers in order to deliver better services.