Textbook of Maritime Medicine

ESTABLISHMENT AND ORGANIZATION

MANDATE

• Collect and mediate knowledge about maritime medicine to  
  • seafarers and fishermen
  • shipowners
  • ships
  • authorities
  • workers' organizations
  • employers' organizations
  • and others
• Initiate and perform research
• Register incidence of:  
  • illnesses and
  • accidents at sea
• Support education and teaching
• Be the Norwegian point of contact for international cooperation in maritime medicine
• Radio Medico Norway will be incorporated in the operational activity of the centre.

ENVIRONMENT

The Department of Occupational Health in the Haukeland University Hospital - to which we belong - has many different professions represented, like neurology, anesthesiology, allergology, ENT-specialists, oftalmologists, plastic surgeons, dermatologists, pulmonologists, neuropsychologists, occupational hygienists, specialists in occupational medicine - and even in general practice. Hyperbaric and diving medicine is represented by a national competence center and a section for hyperbaric treatment.

The affiliation to the University of Bergen strenghten our environment and network organization by reputed researchers within occupational medicine, represented by professor Bente E. Moen, Professor Magne Bråtveit and their co-researchers. Professor Eilif Dahl who works part-time with us, has his professorship within the Department of Internal Medicine.

NATIONAL COOPERATION

NCMM is the medical adviser for the Norwegian Maritime Directorate, The Norwegian Coastal Administration, The Norwegian Directorate of Health and The Accident Investigation Board Norway, the classification societies, shipowners, employees organizations and others.

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

We participate in two different networks internationally - the network of International Maritime Health Association, and the network of WHO Collaborating Centres on Seafarers' Health.

Through these networks we are enganged in several projects and activities:

The publishing of the journal "International Maritime Health" (IMH). From its establishment 60 years ago IMH has been published from the Interfaculty Institute of Maritime, Tropical and Hyperbaric Medicine (IIMTM) in Gdynia, Medical University of Gdansk. From 2009 three partners collaborate on the publishing, namely the IIMTM, IMHA, and the NCMM, with IIMTM as the editor and publisher, IMHA as the endorser, and NCMM as a supporting partner.

In January 2009 we signed a Memorandum of Understanding between Medical University of Gdansk, Haukeland University Hospital and the University of Bergen. We look forward to develop cooperation on several fields of mutual interest under this umbrella.

From 2009 the director of NCMM, Alf Magne Horneland, is a member of the IMHA Board of directors. He has been appointed leader of the IMHA Workgroup on International Guidelines on Medical Chest on Board.

In Novermber 2009 the NCMM will publish on the internet the first international and comprehensive Textbook of Maritime Medicine, in cooperation with IMHA and the Norwegian Association of Maritime Medicine.

In the WHO Network, we are now elaborating on a new project of Container Monitoring and Tracking - a project led by Zentralinstitut für Arbeitsmedizin und Maritime Medizin, Hamburg.