Eurodam Emergency Stop

[werewolf]

On the February 23-March 2nd sailing of the Eurodam we had medical emergency. About and hour out of our Saint Thomas Port the Captain came on line and said we had a medical emergency and we were going to divert to San Juan as they had the closest medical facilities. We got into port but had to wait an hour until an abulance showed up on the dock. At this point they sent the patient out in a wheelchair down the gangplank. It did not look as if the patient was in a life or death situation but you have to wonder about the medical capabilites of a port that could not have an ambulance waiting with as much advance notice as the ship would have given the Port Authorities. They removed the patient and the ship was soon on it's way. The stop did not cause any delay into Half Moon Cay. This was not the only medical emergency this trip. The Carnival ship we were in Grand Turk with had an ambulance come on dock and removed a patient and we later heard there had been a woman removed from our ship also.

[sail7seas]

When you consider the number of people aboard a ship the size of Eurodam, medical emergencies should be expected, not surprising in any way IMO

 

There are towns with much smaller populations than 3,000+ as is common on many ships. Certainly there will be appendics attacks, heart attacks, strokes, broken bones, miscarriages and every other human ailment.

 

The ships are well trained in how to handle them.

 

All we can do is wish the medically debarked person the very best.

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

We were on a 21 day PanAmerican cruise one year. Our first day was a sea day and it was announced that we were moving quickly to Cabo San Lucas for 4 emergencies. By the time we got there the next morning, only 3 people had to leave the ship. This is a tender port. They lowered a lifeboat to the promenade deck to load the patients, relatives and luggage onto it. On shore we could see 3 ambulances waiting for the patients on the pier.

Before our cruise was over seveal more people had medical emergenices and had to leave the ship in various ports.

This happens a lot.

I am surprised that there wasn't an ambulance waiting at the pier in San Juan for the patient.

[IRL_Joanie]

...for a number of reasons......

 

1. They have to clear customs just like everyone else.

 

2. There was some other emergency that the nearest Ambulance was at and they had been dealing with the one they had to send was the closest avaialable and it might have had traffic, distance or any amount of theories I, as a former EMT assigned to ambulances, have had to deal with.

 

3. It was not a matter of Life and Death because they'd have sent a Coast Guard Medi Vac chopper to evac the patient if needed that quickly.

 

4. Since the ship was not scheduled to be at San Juan that day, they had to get personnel to the port to handle the emergency.

 

Do not think that this is standard for San Juan. That is a port that I would not hesitate if needed to be evacuated to:) God forbid it should come to pass, but.....

 

BTW, depending on the patient (thinking my hubby here) some are stubborn enough to refuse to get taken from the ship via gurney.....Hubby MIGHT consider a wheel chair, but never a gurney....

 

Joanie