Long-time partner Telemedical Assistance Services will support Urgent Medical Aid Service during the Coronavirus pandemic

Marlink has made available three of its XChange Telemed healthcare diagnosis kits to France’s TMAS, which will use them to support Service d’Aide Médicale Urgente (SAMU) during the Coronavirus outbreak.

SAMU 31, part of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire of Toulouse (CHU Toulouse) operates national and regional control rooms and co-ordinates the response to emergency calls, dispatching medical teams where they are most needed. Under Marlink’s #StrongerTogether initiative, the XChange Telemed kits have been made available to the emergency centre at Toulouse hospital, which has established remote medical stations to fight the rapid spread of Coronavirus in the south-western regions of France.

These remote clinics are managed by a number of medical teams who rely on the Telemed kits for healthcare in this remote region. XChange Telemed is used by nurses and doctors to transmit medical data to the hospital/CHU in Toulouse for support with diagnosis and emergency treatment based on the available supplies and facilities.

Patients will be examined by the doctor they normally are assigned to via video link without the need for physical contact with a nurse or doctor and the medical data is transferred to SAMU 31 for analysis due to regulations Covid-19 regulations.. Remote follow-up can take place with doctors, public or private hospitals.

TMAS was established to provide medical support and remote assistance to seafarers via maritime radio, e-mail, telephone or fax. The service is hosted by SAMU 31 with doctors on duty for maritime assistance part of the same organisation.

For use at sea or on land, Marlink has developed a new entry-level version of XChange Telemed, expedited to meet demand during the Coronavirus outbreak. This scaled-down option, comprising a blood pressure analyser and oximeter can be shipped and deployed sooner than the standard kit, making it ideal for small medical centres or vessel crews. The smaller kit can also help overcome customs restrictions in certain countries with strict import regulations on medical devices.

​​​​“As the Coronavirus outbreak continues to cause serious health impacts and business disruption globally, XChange Telemed is helping to reduce risks through early detection and faster treatment,” said Tore Morten Olsen, President, Maritime, Marlink. “Our StrongerTogether initiative is providing a range of benefits and services to our customers, all aimed at helping them stay connected and in touch with offices, families and friends.”

“The installation of Marlink XChange Telemed station required dedicated training to help users be more comfortable with it and to make the features of the system easier for them to use,” added Doctor Emilie Dehours of CHU Toulouse.