| GENERAL INFORMATION
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| KEYWORDS
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Marine medical certificate, mental health, schizophrenia
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| FILE NO.
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MH-0394-28
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| SECTOR (Marine or Aviation)
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Marine
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| SPECIFIC JOB
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Seafarer
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| DIAGNOSIS (Primary, Secondary, etc.)
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Paranoid Schizophrenia
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| REVIEW
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| DATE OF DETERMINATION
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January 14, 2016
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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 is a seafarer who has suffered from a serious mental illness since at least 2002. In June 2014, he was issued with a provisional MMC. However, following a review of his medical report by Transport Canada (TC), the full-term MMC was not issued to him when the provisional certificate expired in December 2014. Paranoid schizophrenia is incurable, and the illness effects the patient’s thinking, perception and logical reasoning process, causing delusions, hallucinations, incorrect interpretation of events and a sense of paranoia. The evidence shows that the applicant has experienced all these psychotic symptoms. TC has correctly applied the regulatory requirements to hold an MMC with the applicant’s psychiatry history. If the applicant should have a breakdown at sea, it could be disastrous for him personally as well as for the crew and the vessel. There is no evidence that the ship’s medicine chest has a medication to treat an acutely psychotic patient (with the level of illness previously experienced by the applicant), nor that any crew are trained in how to handle such a person in an emergency. For these reasons, the Minister’s decision is confirmed.
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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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