The question was asked about
medical kits. There are a number of ways to build one.
Here are a couple of examples of kits:
First this one which is for
commercial vessels flagged in the US.
http://www.seasidemarinedrugs.com/pd...0Inventory.pdf
Then this is a great, but outdated link to a post by Dr. Mark Anderson:
cruising_medical_kit
Then you can subscribe to services such as MedAire which not only provide kits but are available for consultation 24/7. Their kits for yachts include:
These kits meet and exceed MCA specification MSN 1768 when the Global OxyKit is included.
Medicines Pack
Trauma
Equipment
Vacuum Splint Set
Leg Traction Splint (KTD)
Sam Sling – Pelvic Traction Device
Heart Attack Test Kit
Malaria Test Kit
Blood Pressure: Aneroid
Monitor
Wound Management
Emergency Fluid Management
Medical Manual
Medical Management System (MMS) CD
In order to get your doctor to give you the prescriptions for a kit they generally need documents regarding the
boat and the
captain (can be you) whose control the medical kit will be under plus regarding how it will be controlled and managed. Living in South
Florida, many doctors are familiar with the practice. In other areas it may be less common but I'd think in most coastal areas it wouldn't be a problem. MedAire actually vacuum
seals to minimize space and keep protected and I do recommend doing the same if you prepare your own kit. Be sure also to take extra of any prescription medicines those on board need. Assume you may have trouble getting refills to you. There are many areas that even if you get locally refilled you may have issues as the dosage may not be as marked. Again, one way of getting refills is to use a
service like Brendan's to receive and forward the medications to you.
The one thing I would add is to take a course in Medical Care at Sea. I had never taken any form of first aid course. My wife, as a teacher, did know basics. But we've both now taken courses for Medical First Aid Providers on
boats and then Medical Person in Charge. We also subscribe to a support
service we can contact in a medical emergency. In addition to immediate access to doctors, they have roughly 72,000 doctors around the world within their
network.