The MCA Category B Medical kit is designed to comply with the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency MSN 1905 regulations regarding ships medical stores for commercial vessels.
These regulations specify kit contents and the amounts of medicines and medical equipment to be provided for increasing numbers of crew. Thus this kit can be compiled for ten, twenty and thirty crew by the addition of additional medical adjunct bags.
The MCA Category B kit is a comprehensive medical kit, and is a requirement for commercial vessels operating up to 150nm offshore, within helicopter range or prompt reach of other offshore rescue services.
The kit facilitates a reasonable degree of independence for vessels cruising the Baltic, around the northern coast of Europe, down the western seaboard, and for seasons in the Mediterranean. Similarly, it would be a reasonable medical kit for cruising the Eastern seaboard of the Americas, and spending seasons in the Caribbean.
It is an MCA requirement that to sanction supply of a MCA Category B medical kit, at least one member of the crew has undertaken the MCA Medical First Aid Aboard Ship course within the previous five years. We would recommend that at least two members of crew should undertake such training, to cover the eventuality that the ‘medic’ is the one requiring medical attention.
The kit is divided in to three bags (Grab Bag, Main Bag, Airway/Oxygen Bag), each containing a number of modules housed in clear plastic pouches for easy access and identification of contents.
The MCA Cat B medical kit is supplied in soft bags or Pelicases. Each version incorporates the same modular arrangement.