Medical examination of expedition participants
Polarstern expeditions lead into the remote areas of the earth where emergency medical treatment is usually not be availble. The climatic conditions and physical work onboard or on the ice severely strain the body.
All participants have to attend a medical examination according to AWI regulations to make sure that they are fit enough to meet the challenges of the expedition and for minimizing the risk to abort the expedition.
A successful medical examination is mandatory for participation in expeditions with RV Polarstern.
The AWI medical officer decides whether a participant is suitable to take part in an expedition. In case of doubt the medical coordinator of AWI may be consulted.
The checkup is valid for 12 months and has to be repeated thereafter.
The AWI medical officer is the relevant authority for AWI employees. All other participants have to turn to their GP and have to bear the costs themselves. Please send the findings of your GP and the filled in questionnaire to the AWI medical officer only (via mail or fax).
Please see the general schedule of your expedition for deadlines for the medical examination.
A doctor is onboard during the expedition. The ship has a fully adequate surgery, a treatment room with pharmacy and a patients room.
In case you have to take medicines regularly and bring them onboard, you have to inform the ship's doctor about it.
Medial reports of all expedition members are handed over by the AWI medical officer to the cruise leader who takes them onboard. On the ship they are handed to the ship's doctor.
If you are only going from Bremerhaven to Las Palmas or vice versa you solely need to send the medical questionnaire filled out by yourself to the AWI Medical Service. The medical officer then decides whether further examination is necessary.
Address Medical Service:
Medical Service
Prager Str. 71
27568 Bremerhaven
Tel.: 0471 - 43636
Fax: 0471 - 417858
Document: Information on Medical Examination for Expdetition of the Alfred Wegener Institute