Intercruises & Vikand partner to provide Global Port Medical Network

We are pleased to announce a new partnership with Vikand, in which we can further support the safe return to cruising. Below is the full press release:

PRESS RELEASE

November 2020

Intercruises & Vikand partner to provide Global Port Medical Network 

Intercruises Shoreside & Port Services, an experienced global business offering ground handling and port operations services to the cruise industry, is partnering with Vikand Solutions, a global maritime medical operations and healthcare solutions provider, to develop a Global Port Medical Network.

The Global Port Medical Network will help in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic by supporting the safe return to service of the cruise and wider maritime industry. With local presence in ports around the world, Intercruises will use the collective local knowledge and relationships of its team to collate key information about medical facilities in different locations. This information will populate a continually evolving database managed by the Vikand team, who will also work with Intercruises in defining and implementing medical protocols according to destination resources.

“We are proud to have already played a role in the safe return to cruising, but we must continue to take actions that will support this process,” states Olga Piqueras, Intercruises Managing Director. “By working with Vikand on this initiative we are using Intercruises’ local presence and relationships to better support our cruise line clients and the communities in which we work.” 

Peter Hult, Vikand CEO and Olga Piqueras, Intercruises Managing Director, outline how the companies will work together and the benefits for the cruise industry.

The Global Port Medical Network will aid cruise businesses in adhering to protocols set forth by the EU Healthy Gateways commission and other national health authorities. These require cruise operators to have agreements in place with local health agencies and/or health care providers, ensuring that ambulance and medical care can be provided for COVID-19 cases.

“A first partnership within Vikand’s broader Vikand Medical Network (VMN), the Global Port Medical Network we’ve designed with Intercruises is a comprehensive system of destination medical services and providers that have existing port agency working relationships. With this tool, we can ensure there are medical facilities prepared to assist if needed, further strengthening our clients’ safe return to service, and giving them and their guests peace of mind,” says Peter Hult, Vikand CEO. “The initiative with Intercruises means we can truly say that we are ready to provide support in situations where there are potential shipboard COVID-19 cases.”

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