Medical staff conduct a remote medical examination. Courtesy of Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries

Seoul will push forward the project to provide telemedicine services for 4,500 crew members of deep-sea vessels using satellite telecommunications, the oceans ministry said Sunday.

There are many cases of belated treatment for the crews of deep-sea vessels during emergencies and for many diseases, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.

To help resolve this, the government partnered with Pusan National University Hospital's maritime medical research center in 2015, providing 109,312 cases of telemedicine services for the crew of deep-sea vessels over the past 10 years, the ministry said.

Last year alone, the government provided 24,026 cases of telemedicine services for 180 deep-sea vessels.

Through the project, the government will instruct deep-sea vessel crews on how to respond to emergency cases and offer consultations for those who have chronic diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure, the ministry said. (Yonhap)