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Merchant Shipping Act, 1951 (Act No. 57 of 1951)

Regulations

Merchant Shipping (Training, Certification and Safe Manning) Regulations, 2021

Part 5 : Medical and Eyesight Examination for Seafarers

87. Approval of Medical Practitioners to perform Medical Examination of Seafarers

 

(1) Subject to the conditions contained in the Quality Standards System, the Authority may approve a medical practitioner to issue—
(a) a medical fitness certificate; or
(b) colour and vision test certificate.

 

(2) To be approved in terms of subregulation (1)(a), the applicant must—
(a) be a medical doctor and must—
(i) hold an Occupational Medicine certificate; or
(ii) have practiced for at least one year as a ship’s doctor; or
(iii) have served three years as a ‘shipping company’ doctor; or
(iv) have served three years under the supervision of a medical practitioner approved under these Regulations;
(b) comply with the requirements set out in the Quality Standards System.

 

(3) To be approved in terms of subregulation (1)(b), an applicant must—
(a) be an Optometrist, and
(b) comply with the requirements set out in the Quality Standards System.

 

(4) The Authority may approve a group of medical practitioners who share facilities if they qualify in terms of subregulations (2) and (3).

 

(5) An approval made in terms of this regulation shall be in writing.

 

(6) An approval in terms of this regulation shall be valid for a period of three years.

 

(7) The Authority may suspend or cancel an approval in terms of this regulation when there is prima facie evidence of non-compliance with the conditions of the approval.

 

(8) Medical practitioners approved before the commencement of these Regulations shall continue to be approved until the date of expiry on their certificate of approval.

 

(9) The Authority shall on a regular basis publish the list of medical practitioners approved in terms of this regulation.