| GENERAL INFORMATION
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| KEYWORDS
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Marine medical certificate, mental health
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| FILE NO.
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MG-0265-28
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| SECTOR (Marine or Aviation)
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Marine
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| SPECIFIC JOB
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Unknown
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| DIAGNOSIS (Primary, Secondary, etc.)
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Schizophrenia
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| REVIEW
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| DATE OF DETERMINATION
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August 29, 2014
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| MEMBER
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Dr. Christopher Brooks
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| DETERMINATION
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The Minister’s decision is confirmed.
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| REASONS FOR THE DETERMINATION
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Refusal to issue a marine medical certificate (MMC) — The applicant has a ten-year history of mental illness and has had at least seven admissions to hospital with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. In 2010, the applicant was issued a temporary six-month MMC with very strict restrictions. At that time, the rules and regulations for the issuance of an MMC for a seafarer suffering from schizophrenia were still undergoing development and revision by Transport Canada (TC). However, in 2012, the applicant was found unfit to hold an MMC due to the new Canadian national Guidelines Concerning Fitness Categories with regard to specific Psychiatric Disorders (2011) and the ILO/ IMO guidelines on the medical examinations of seafarers (2011). The applicant argues that his medical condition has improved since 2012 and requests that TC reissue his MMC with the same restrictions. The guidelines are quite clear when dealing with someone who has had multiple episodes. A person with three or more episodes, or continuing likelihood of recurrence, is permanently considered incompatible with reliable performance of routine and emergency duties, safely or effectively. The risk of a psychiatric episode at sea is too great to allow the applicant to be issued an MMC, temporary or otherwise. The member concludes that the Minister considered and applied all the correct national and international obligations in denying the applicant an MMC.
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| APPEAL
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| DATE OF DECISION
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| MEMBERS
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| DECISION
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| REASONS FOR THE DECISION
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| OTHER/COMMENTS
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