Cap. 234 ст. 158Expenses of medicalattendance in case of injury or illness. 

(1) If the master of, or a seaman or apprentice belonging to, a Maltese ship receives any hurt or injury in the service of the ship, or suffers from any illness (not being an illness due to his own wilful act or to his own misbehaviour), the expenses of providing the necessary surgical and medical advice and attendance and medicine, and also the expenses of the maintenance of the master or seaman or apprentice until he is cured, dies, or is returned to a proper return port, including any period during which he is unemployed after he has been cured and before he has been returned to a proper return port, and of his conveyance to the port, and, in the case of death, the expenses, if any, of the repatriation of the deceased and his burial, shall be defrayed by the owner of the ship, without any deduction on that account from his wages: Provided that an owner shall not be liable by virtue of this article to pay the expenses of the maintenance of any person during any period after he has been cured or of his conveyance to a proper return port if he shows that that person has failed to accept suitable employment on board a Maltese ship proceeding within a reasonable time to a proper return port or had failed to comply with any other reasonable arrangements made for his return to a proper return port.

(2) If the master or seaman or apprentice is, on account of any illness, temporarily removed from his ship for the purpose of preventing infection, or otherwise for the convenience of the ship, and subsequently returns to his duty, the expenses of the removal and of providing the necessary advice and attendance and medicine, and of his maintenance while away from the ship shall be defrayed in like manner.

(3) The expenses of all medicines, surgical and medical advice and attendance given to a master or seaman or apprentice whilst on board his ship shall be defrayed in like manner.

(4) In all other cases any reasonable expenses duly incurred by the owner or bareboat charterer for any seaman or apprentice in respect of illness, and also any reasonable expenses duly incurred by the owner or bareboat charterer in respect of the repatriation of the deceased and of the burial of any seaman or apprentice who dies whilst on service shall, if duly proved, be deducted from the wages of the seaman or apprentice.