How good is emergency medical care on ship?

[kazu]

What was the port?

 

If my memory serves me correctly - it was our second port of call - which was Dubrovnik. (They only stayed there temporarily - I believe they were transported to a different hospital - HAL told us at the time but I don't recall - sorry)

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

We have used medical facilities on HAL and Princess ships several times for non life threatening issues and have found the medical staff to be both competent and caring. I have no trepidation about going to the medical centers. Also these are the same facilities that take care of the crew who are on board for longer periods of time so I assume they are good facilities.

[sail7seas]

I was on a cruise when my 41 year old brother in law was dumped by Celebrity. I have never posted about it as it was very traumatic. The ship's doctor was not experienced at all. The ship was not diverted and we were stuck at sea for two days before being dumped in an ambulance with 30 minutes notice we were to leave the ship. The ambulance had no medical attendants. It just had a driver and rancid jar of peein the back with no medical equipment. No one spoke English (it was Mexico) in Huatulco. We were taken to the maternity clinic where they refused to let my brother out of the ambulance ( women only). You pay cash on the spot to the ambulance and the doctors. The nearest hospital was a 7 hour ambulance ride. The nearest medical flight was from Houstonand would take 18 hours to pick us up at the cost of $30,000 which were willing to pay. Our doctor in the us advised to get medical care in 7 hours so we drove to a hospital in the ambulance with the pee jar through at least four military check points. at the hospital there was no English. You buy your own medicine leaving the hospital to fetch it and bring it back to the doctor. You buy your own toilet paper. You are extorted to pay cash, no credit, before you can leave.

The horror stories are true. The ships doctor thought my brother in law had meningitis. He had a stroke. It was awful. When we got off the ship, we left family on board that the ship moved other passengers into our aft suite which was more annoying. No help or followup from Celebrity.

 

 

What a terrible experience. Sorry your family had such an awful time of it and hope your B-I-L finally got the care he needed and recovered well.

 

Hope you don't mind my asking but did he have travel medical/ EVacuation Coverage?

I wonder if that would have been helpful in getting him to a suitable hospital more quickly; if you would not have had assistance on the ground and more response from care givers? If he had the coverage, how did it fail so miserably?

 

Thanks if you can help with those questions.

As we write that medical coverage each cruise, I wonder just how useful it is or is not.

 

[sail7seas]

We have used medical facilities on HAL and Princess ships several times for non life threatening issues and have found the medical staff to be both competent and caring. I have no trepidation about going to the medical centers. Also these are the same facilities that take care of the crew who are on board for longer periods of time so I assume they are good facilities.

 

 

Actually, I believe there is crew doctor/nurse separate from the guests' medical teams. That is NOT to say that one does not treat the other group should their help be needed for whatever reason.

 

Crew definitely has been treated by Guests' Doctor and guests have been treated by Crew Doctors but that is not the rule.

 

[mudscraper]

My sister broke her arm in St. Thomas while on a Princess cruise. The Princess doctor applied this HUGE plaster cast. Her injured arm was also elevated in what seemed to be an awkward position. When she got off the cruise in Fla. she went to the orthopedic doc who said he hadn`t seen a cast like that one in 20 years and her arm was positioned so improperly that permanent injury would occur if the cast were to stay on. He removed the cast and applied another. This occured in 2007.

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

Actually, I believe there is crew doctor/nurse separate from the guests' medical teams. That is NOT to say that one does not treat the other group should their help be needed for whatever reason.

 

Crew definitely has been treated by Guests' Doctor and guests have been treated by Crew Doctors but that is not the rule.

 

 

Yes, that is true. But at least on the Maasdam in February, both doctors shared the same facility.

[Copper10-8]

Yes, that is true. But at least on the Maasdam in February, both doctors shared the same facility.

 

Just a heads up; the passenger physician, crew physician, lead medical officer (lead nurse) and medical officer(s)/nurse(s) all share the same facility. Although crew sees the crew physician (almost always a Filipino native) for medical issues (he/she has daily visiting hrs twice a day for that purpose), they all work as a team in more serious cases. These are all dedicated individuals with lots of experience; I've seen them save lives onboard!

[sail7seas]

Just a heads up; the passenger physician, crew physician, lead medical officer (lead nurse) and medical officer(s)/nurse(s) all share the same facility. Although crew sees the crew physician (almost always a Filipino native) for medical issues (he/she has daily visiting hrs twice a day for that purpose), they all work as a team in more serious cases. These are all dedicated individuals with lots of experience; I've seen them save lives onboard!

 

 

Absolutely. We all hope to not need their professional skills but it's good to know they are available, if needed.

 

 

Isn't it true a cruise ship cannot sail without a licensed MD?

 

 

[/b]

[kazu]

Just a heads up; the passenger physician, crew physician, lead medical officer (lead nurse) and medical officer(s)/nurse(s) all share the same facility. Although crew sees the crew physician (almost always a Filipino native) for medical issues (he/she has daily visiting hrs twice a day for that purpose), they all work as a team in more serious cases. These are all dedicated individuals with lots of experience; I've seen them save lives onboard!

 

Absolutely Copper - my husband has had the opportunity to meet some of the physicians on board and he has been very impressed with their knowledge and credentials. And it takes a lot to impress my DH:D;)

[Copper10-8]

......................Isn't it true a cruise ship cannot sail without a licensed MD?

 

 

 

[/b]

 

 

That is true, however the crew physician qualifies! While in Nassau, the Bahamas in in 2011, the pax doctor was stuck on the sea taxi to Atlantic (it broke down half-way, plus they had to replace the carpet) and the ship (Maasdam) was on a tight schedule to make San Juan, PR. We almost sailed w/o the doc because the crew doc was onboard. In the end, the pax doc was on a full sprint on the somewhat long dock at Nassau, and made it, to the applause of many pax watching on LP Deck

[sail7seas]

That is true, however the crew physician qualifies! While in Nassau, the Bahamas in in 2011, the pax doctor was stuck on the sea taxi to Atlantic (it broke down half-way, plus they had to replace the carpet) and the ship (Maasdam) was on a tight schedule to make San Juan, PR. We almost sailed w/o the doc because the crew doc was onboard. In the end, the pax doc was on a full sprint on the somewhat long dock at Nassau, and made it, to the applause of many pax watching on LP Deck

 

 

:) Happy he made it back in the nick of time. I'm sure he was more than happy. :)

 

[Hlitner]

Anyone with transatlantic experience? With 7 sea days I'm a little concerned about an emergency that would require surgery. No evacuations after a certain point.

 

Even on TAs there are often some options. On a recent HA cruise that was TA we made an unscheduled stop at Bermuda to get a passengers ashore who had a severe medical condition. But on TAs there are times when the ship can be several days from the nearest land which means the ship's physician will do what they can to stabilize a person until they get them to a port. There are some large mega ships that actually have some capability to do emergency surgery....but its not an optimum situation and the medical staff does not generally include a trained surgeon. We have a friend who is a Board Certified Emergency Physician and he works (part time) on HA cruises. He said that in a pinch he could do some surgery on a ship....but would do everything possible to avoid it because the facilities and staff are not ideal.

 

Evacuation by helicopter is very rare and not even possible once a ship is pretty far from land.

 

Hank

[Copper10-8]

........................................

Evacuation by helicopter is very rare and not even possible once a ship is pretty far from land.

 

......................

 

They (aerial medevacs from cruise ships) have become more common than you think!

[luxurysailer]

A competent physician will be more limited by what is available to them in the way of diagnostic and treatment modalities than by their knowledge and skill.

[Typhoon1]

A competent physician will be more limited by what is available to them in the way of diagnostic and treatment modalities than by their knowledge and skill.

 

This is the key. Obviously, there isn't the facilities of a major medical center available to them. They have to make do with the limited facilities they are provided with.

[whogo]

Note that Holland America assumes no responsibility for the actions of medical personnel:

 

© We do not undertake to supervise, nor assume any liability in respect of, the acts or omissions of the Ship's physician, Ship’s nurse, retail shop personnel, health and beauty staff, photographers or any other third party providing services, all of whom are either independent contractors or are employed by independent contractors, and work directly for the passenger when performing their services.

 

http://www.hollandamerica.com/legalAndPrivacy/Main.action

[hawkeye3d]

My experience on Westerdam in 2011 with a badly infected foot showed me that the DR’s care to be first rate. He even sent a the cabin steward with a different antibiotic to my cabin. He did this after consulting with a doctor he knew back in Calgary, His follow up was very professional and he laid out the options to my wife and me, stay or leave the ship. We stuck with the ship for the remainder of the cruise which, in hindsight was the wrong choice as the infection turned into osteomyelitis and cost me a toe and a little of the foot itself. But nothing in the DR’s care caused or could have prevented this turn of events.

[Murray's Pop]

The pax docs on HAL are all required to have Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) Certification. They are also required to be Board Certified in Emergency Medical Care (preferred) or in Internal Medicine, and have substantial, recent emergency care experience. They must also be fluent in English.

 

Registered Nurses have similar requirements. Basic Life Support (BLS) certification is required, however ACLS is preferred. They must also have substantial, recent emergency care experience. They must also be fluent in English.

 

The only real limitation is the equipment available in the medical suite. These suites, while relatively small, typically have the same equipment as a community hospital emergency room providing basic emergency care.

These are not Trauma Centers, but then again the vast majority of hospital emergency rooms are not either. They are equipt to sustain life until more advanced care can be obtained.

 

The medical suites are also in contact with a major medical center via "telemedicine", a sophisticated system that allows specialty physicians to evaluate and confer, review diagnostic tests, see real time cardiac monitoring, and x-rays. I feel very comfortable with the care available on board.

[detroit70]

A competent physician will be more limited by what is available to them in the way of diagnostic and treatment modalities than by their knowledge and skill.

We were on board the Eurodam last March when my DH became ill. The medical staff took a complete history, which in his case is long and complex, and the doctor then examined him and determined he had pneumonia. However, he also had several tests run and was able to transmit the information to a major hospital in Houston for their analysis.

 

Because of DH's previous heart problems, the doctor decided to keep him in the ship hospital for what turned out to be about 24 hours. The doctor was on a two week stint from Toronto. A couple of the nurses were also short-term but the head nurse was a regular cruise employee. Both of us could not be more pleased with the care (and we have lots of basis for comparison!) Very caring, thoughtful and, most importantly, competent!

 

And the rest of the Eurodam staff was likewise very supportive and helpful, including our cabin steward who was insistent that he would be the one to push the wheelchair when DH was later released to be confined to our cabin for another 24 hours.

 

Further good news was that our employee insurance coverage paid for all but $50 of the $2500+ charge. We did have trip coverage but didn't use it.

 

With his health history, I used to worry about cruising but not any longer!

[Lara Cruising]

Do all medical services on board HAL ships incur a charge? If charged does our travel insurance then reimburse us?.....certainly hoping we don't need to test it.

[RuthC]

Do all medical services on board HAL ships incur a charge? If charged does our travel insurance then reimburse us?.....certainly hoping we don't need to test it.

Travel insurance may reimburse, but it depends on the terms of the policy.

 

There are times that there is no charge aboard ship, but that's when the ship has some responsibility.

One time I was pricked by a glass shard in a cushion in a lounge. No charge for the treatment.

Another time I fell into an elevator when I didn't notice that it was about 4-6" higher than the deck. :eek: I was well treated, including visits to the doctor and x-rays.

[mmckm]

Read the small print in your policy. Most policy's DO NOT cover a preexisting condition. So if you have had a heart attack and have another while away on vacation you have no coverage even if your doctor says you can travel. Check your coverage you could end up with a big bill.

[SplitRaindrop]

Does anyone have any recommendations for medical evacuation insurance? I'm only mildy familiar with the company Seven Corners. I had medical insurance (they don't normally provide it) while I served as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer. I know someone who had their travel insurance and had to be evacuated from Africa (I can't recall which country) to Germany. I know she had good experience but I'm not sure what to look for in travel insurance and how much to pay for it. Any advice?

 

We're a young, relatively healthy couple but I know accidents happen. Also does anyone know if you can get travel medical insurance together if you are not married?

[RuthC]

Does anyone have any recommendations for medical evacuation insurance? I'm only mildy familiar with the company Seven Corners. I had medical insurance (they don't normally provide it) while I served as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer. I know someone who had their travel insurance and had to be evacuated from Africa (I can't recall which country) to Germany. I know she had good experience but I'm not sure what to look for in travel insurance and how much to pay for it. Any advice?

 

We're a young, relatively healthy couple but I know accidents happen. Also does anyone know if you can get travel medical insurance together if you are not married?

I have two suggestions.

First, go to www.insuremytrip.com and look at what some of the policies have to offer. That will get you thinking about your particular needs on this particular trip. Things to consider could include pre-existing conditions, not only for you, but for loved ones at home who may need you to return; do you want to insure every aspect of your trip, or are you willing to accept some loss; do you want primary or secondary coverage.

 

Then, once you've started to consider what's best for you, call Insure My Trip.; the number is right on the website screen. Someone will discuss your needs in relation to what plans best meet those needs. The person will ask questions, and help you choose what's best for you. They can book that while on the call.

[luxurysailer]

Aeromedical evacuation insurance is dirt cheap compared to the potential cost that can be incurred without it. IMHO it's foolish to leave home without it, especially when traveling in foreign countries.

 

We've carried a policy (Medjet Assist) for a good many years now, not only for foreign travel but also for coverage when traveling here in the U.S. Even if you're hospitalized only a few hundred miles from home, the cost of your family having to stay in a hotel for only a few days will exceed the annual premium.