[08 May 2012] Filipino seafarers now have a secure and convenient means to receive medical counseling and health coaching even while at sea – for free.
Photo shows (from left to right) Tisha Quinition, marketing manager, and Tina Mariano, head of Smart’s Global Access Group, Jeff Williams, President of MediCall, and Nicandro Salud, Marketing and Sales Director of RiteMED, during the signing ceremony marking the launch of the service.
[08 May 2012] Filipino seafarers now have a secure and convenient means to receive medical counseling and health coaching even while at sea – for free.
Wireless leader Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) has partnered with leading generic drug company RiteMED, and pioneering clinical services provider MediCall, to provide free health advisory and coaching services to Filipino seafarers via Smart Link.
Smart Link, the country’s first and only prepaid satellite telecommunication service, provides coverage to seafarers sailing within Asia-Pacific, Indian Ocean, Middle East, Africa, and some parts of Europe and the Mediterranean.
The Smart-RiteMED-MediCall partnership benefits close to 400,000 seafaring Filipinos – who make up about a quarter of the world's sailors. Starting May, Filipino seafarers may now be able to place a free call through their Smart Link terminals and consult a medical professional about their health concerns, even while at sea.
“We initiated this service to help ensure the health and wellness of Filipino seafarers by providing them a direct line to professional healthcare assistance while they are out at sea, which can sometimes go as long as months,” said Tina Mariano, head of Smart’s Global Access Group, which offers the Smart Link service.
Using the Smart Link satellite phone service deployed across 7,500 maritime vessels all over the world, a seafarer needing assistance simply needs to dial Access Codes 3621 (DOC1) or 3622 (DOC2) to reach MediCall nurses and consult. Calls to these access codes will be free of charge thanks to RiteMED, who are happy to sponsor the service as an extension of their commitment to making quality medical care available for all Filipinos.
Smart offers the most number of unique and relevant services designed to answer the needs of the Filipino seafarer and his family. It has partnerships with the country’s biggest maritime-related companies such as Magsaysay Maritime Corp., NYK-Fil Ship Management, Inc., Philippine Transmarine Carriers, Inc., among others.