Taipei Medical University Hospital and Octon International signed a "Global Maritime Telemedicine Platform Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding" today in Taipei, with the aim of providing more comprehensive health services to pioneer a new era of high-quality medical care in the global offshore medical industry.

This collaboration marks an important milestone in the international maritime medical field by offering quality medical care to global maritime industry workers. Octon International, a leading expert in communication software, will combine advanced telemedicine technologies with the medical expertise and services of Taipei Medical University Hospital to establish an international telemedicine alliance and technology platform. This alliance aims to provide better and real-time medical services to seafarers from various countries during their ocean voyages, bringing them and their families a sense of security through accessible medical care.

Board Chairman Ray-Jade Chen of Taipei Medical University expressed that the most direct and effective way to address and reduce carbon emissions can also be achieved through telemedicine, which significantly reduces the carbon footprint caused by transportation.

“The collaboration between Taipei Medical University Hospital and Octon International is undoubtedly a significant step forward for greener healthcare solutions globally,” he said during the ceremony.

Director-General Shih Chun-Ming of Taipei Medical University Hospital stated that the collaboration between Taipei Medical University and Octon International would aim to establish new maritime telemedicine service standards, providing comprehensive and high-quality medical services for seafarers:

“By integrating professional medical services with more advanced communication technologies, the limitations of distance and time differences can be overcome, enabling more instant and accurate medical support to ensure the health and safety of seafarers.”

In recent years, the impact of the Covid pandemic has led to increased attention to and rapid development of telemedicine systems, with public acceptance increasing at faster paces.

Director Liu Wen-Chi of the Telemedicine Center at Taipei Medical University Hospital also pointed out that in the past two years, through constant pressures of adapting to the pandemic, the telemedicine healthcare model at Taipei Medical University Hospital's Telemedicine Center has become fine-tuned to be more precise and stable.

She stated that “by combining IoT (Internet of Things) enabled devices and utilizing low-orbit satellite communications technologies, medical care will be extended to the open seas. Taipei Medical University Hospital hopes to help shoulder the responsibility of providing better social care in this regard by with better technologies for better healthcare.”

However, in terms of clinical application, due to limitations of advanced medical equipment that work in tandem with telemedicine platforms, most people still prefer face-to-face appointments with doctors. Unfortunately, seafarers, who face more dangers of injury or illness in their work environment, are prone to suffer a diverse array of health-related issues - including seasickness, fatigue, psychological stress, and the risk of infectious diseases – must find a way to get treated offshore, far away from any traditional medical facilities.

Dr. Charles Chen, Chairman of Octon International Technology, stated, “through our advanced telemedicine platform, seafarers can achieve real-time video conferencing consultations with doctors from their own countries, in their native language, without communication barriers, and obtain timely medical guidance and treatment advice. This not only provides rapid medical support to a niche population that has a high demand for telemedicine, but also reduces the health risks faced by seafarers during long voyages.”

To provide better telemedicine services, Octon International has developed a platform, which ensures high cyber-security and privacy protection, it also includes various basic communication-related services such as video conferencing, voice conferencing, SMS, file, and streaming transmission, as well as personnel management capabilities. Additionally, the platform provides patient monitoring and diagnostics, as well as medical information, registration, and medication-dispensing solutions to meet different scenarios faced in actual medical operations.
Octon International emphasizes that most telemedicine solutions currently on the market are restrictive to doctors' practical applications and can’t integrate directly with a multitude of FDA-certified, medical devices, while Octon’s platform was designed specifically to allow such integration.

Vice President Chang Shy-Shin of Taipei Medical University Hospital during the signing concluded that “by collaborating with Octon International to develop maritime telemedicine, the distance between doctors and patients is reduced to a single step. Establishing a ‘virtual’ medical professional team onboard will provide optimal medical consultation for seafarers sailing on the open seas.”

Both sides are committed to establishing the world's first maritime telemedicine service ecosystem and have received rampant support from other medical service providers, IoT equipment suppliers, insurance companies, and government agencies. The platform will adopt a “one-stop” service model aimed at meeting the healthcare needs of maritime personnel and providing comprehensive medical support.