Medical Emergency when ashore - who to call at Port of Call?

[jennymaxgirl]

Getting ready for our cruise on Koningsdam.....bringing older parents with us for the trip. I would like to be fully prepared and would like to know - what is the protocol if there is a medical emergency while ashore? What if we need to dial '911' while at the beach at any of the islands? Who do you call?? I have no idea how one would go about this situation, so thought I better look into this so I am educated on this topic.

 

Anyone know how to handle these type of unexpected emergencies?

 

Thank you!

[Krazy Kruizers]

In the daily program -- each port your visit -- there will be listed a port agent and their telephone number.

Take each daily program with that information when you go ashore.

[Keith1010]

This is an excellent question.

 

Yes we always keep the number of the port agent and that is good for many reasons.

 

However, if you needed emergency help immediately time might be wasted starting with the port agent.

 

For example if you were in the USA would you start with the port agent in an emergency or call 911? I think 911.

 

I don't have an answer for each and every port but something to think about and look forward to see what others have to say.

 

Keith

[superoma]

I am assuming you will have out of country medical insurance. There is a phone number to call and a way to bypass the phone queue in an emergency. They will send you somewhere, clinic, hospital etc. This also starts the process for your claim should you need to make one. Additional to that, I would google each country I am stopping in to see how to call emergency services and get that going. There might be a language barrier, too, which is where the port agent might help. Good that you want to be prepared!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[sail7seas]

f you need an ambulnce call police

 

Port Agent is your' friend in town and will assist you if necessary. Have their contact information with you when off the ship. They will contact the ship and tell them of your situation.

[Copper10-8]

Getting ready for our cruise on Koningsdam.....bringing older parents with us for the trip. I would like to be fully prepared and would like to know - what is the protocol if there is a medical emergency while ashore? What if we need to dial '911' while at the beach at any of the islands? Who do you call?? I have no idea how one would go about this situation, so thought I better look into this so I am educated on this topic.

 

Anyone know how to handle these type of unexpected emergencies?

 

Thank you!

Having the port agent's phone # with you while ashore is always a good idea, but you're not going to call that number if one of your parents, God forbid, is having a medical emergency while ashore on a beach in Road Town, Tortola and/or in Cockburn Town, Grand Turk. You need a medical response right now, and calling, or trying to call the port agent, is going to add precious minutes to that response. Secondly, if this were to occur, you would have to have a cell/mobile phone in your possession with an international plan with which you could actually reach the local emergency services.

Your best plan is to ask a local, hopefully in possession of a cell phone, to call that island's emergency services and have them respond to your location, If no cell phone on hand, run into a nearby business; store, a restaurant, tell the employee you have a medical emergency and have them call for assistance.

Be aware that when you call 911 in most North American cities, you will get a Fire Dept. response, usually including Fire paramedics with advanced life support training, as well as an engine company for manpower. With the exception of San Juan, Puerto Rico and Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, whose emergency responders are trained to North American standards (to European standards in the ABC islands/Sint Maarten and Martinique), you might not get that ykind of response in some of the other Caribbean islands. There, you will probably get a local ambulance with EMTs/basic life support training (sometimes a doctor will be onboard) but everything helps

Know the name of the location on that island that you are physically at, i.e. Maho Beach

Not sure if you're talking a seven or ten-day Caribbean trip on Koningsdam, but if you are:

Emergency Services - be aware that not every country uses 911:

Cockburn Town, Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos - call 911

San Juan, PR - call 911

Road Town, Tortola, BVI call 999

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, USVI - call 911

Amber Cove, Dominican Republic - call 911

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas - Local/ship's medical post near entrance to the main plaza

Kralendijk, Bonaire - call 911

Willemstad, Curacao - call 112

Oranjestad, Aruba - call 911

Philipsburg, Sint Maarten - call 911

Castries, St. Lucia - call 999

Bridgetown, Barbados - call 115

Fort-de-France, Martinique - call 15

Basseterre, Saint Kitts - call 911

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/dam/students-abroad/pdfs/911_ABROAD.pdf

[alwaysfrantic]

This is a GREAT question

[RMLincoln]

Having the port agent's phone # with you while ashore is always a good idea, but you're not going to call that number if one of your parents, God forbid, is having a medical emergency while ashore on a beach in Road Town, Tortola and/or in Cockburn Town, Grand Turk. You need a medical response right now, and calling, or trying to call the port agent, is going to add precious minutes to that response. Secondly, if this were to occur, you would have to have a cell/mobile phone in your possession with an international plan with which you could actually reach the local emergency services.

Your best plan is to ask a local, hopefully in possession of a cell phone, to call that island's emergency services and have them respond to your location, If no cell phone on hand, run into a nearby business; store, a restaurant, tell the employee you have a medical emergency and have them call for assistance.

Be aware that when you call 911 in most North American cities, you will get a Fire Dept. response, usually including Fire paramedics with advanced life support training, as well as an engine company for manpower. With the exception of San Juan, Puerto Rico and Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, whose emergency responders are trained to North American standards (to European standards in the ABC islands/Sint Maarten and Martinique), you might not get that ykind of response in some of the other Caribbean islands. There, you will probably get a local ambulance with EMTs/basic life support training (sometimes a doctor will be onboard) but everything helps

Know the name of the location on that island that you are physically at, i.e. Maho Beach

Not sure if you're talking a seven or ten-day Caribbean trip on Koningsdam, but if you are:

Emergency Services - be aware that not every country uses 911:

Cockburn Town, Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos - call 911

San Juan, PR - call 911

Road Town, Tortola, BVI call 999

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, USVI - call 911

Amber Cove, Dominican Republic - call 911

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas - Local/ship's medical post near entrance to the main plaza

Kralendijk, Bonaire - call 911

Willemstad, Curacao - call 112

Oranjestad, Aruba - call 911

Philipsburg, Sint Maarten - call 911

Castries, St. Lucia - call 999

Bridgetown, Barbados - call 115

Fort-de-France, Martinique - call 15

Basseterre, Saint Kitts - call 911

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/dam/students-abroad/pdfs/911_ABROAD.pdf

Super info John!! In a medical emergency use 911 or equivalent. What constitutes a medical emergency? For elderly, >65, any severe or sudden pain or dysfunction in the head, chest or belly! Of course trauma also, as from a fall or high energy accident like a car, scooter, bus etc., would also equal a medical emergency.

As an EMT I would recommend calling for medical assistance immediately... the system is designed for quickest response to support the incident. Getting a local to help you get that assistance will "grease" the pathway.

After you are started with medical assistance then the port agent will be your connection with the ship. And calling your abroad insurance connection will help you with the next steps.

m--

[Hlitner]

If outside the USA it is best to call the Port Agent. Inside the USA, each cruise line does have a toll free emergency number (its usually listed in the pre cruise documents). Also, if in the USA you can simply call the cruise line's regular number, explain the situation, and you should be transfered to the proper folks.

 

Regarding being outside the USA, when we doing something ambitious (such as driving hours from the port, or doing an approved night off the ship) we will quietly ask Guest Relations if they will give us a phone number of the ship. Sometimes this is done....and other times the ship will deny our request and tell us to contract them via the local agent. In the event that all else fails (or you do not have a phone number) you can simply call the cruise line's main number (it can be found on the internet) and seek help.

 

Hank

[RMLincoln]

Carry your medical information with you!

We always carry a half-page piece of paper with our medical information. It's in our wallets, or if we go ashore without wallets it's on our person. It lists:

- Name, Date of Birth, Age, Medical Conditions (such as, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, anything you are on medication for or should be); Allergies to medicaations

- Contacts; I list the doctor(s) who know the most about these conditions and their phone numbers, plus primary (next of kin, usually spouse who is with you) and secondary (family/friend/pastor or chaplain) points of contact at home

- Medications - first, name of prescription med, dose and frequency; then other meds we may be carrying in case of need including pain meds, cold meds, etc. Then daily vitamins and supplements.

- Medical History - onset dates of major medical conditions and surgeries, plus last cancer screening such as last colonoscopy date

- Family medical history in brief, which may be of importance if a doctor is try to figure out what's going on with you

- Immunization dates including tetanus shots, pneumonia, shingles, influenza, hepatitis and any travel shots like Yellow Fever which will have other documentation but list it here so all the info is in one place fast.

 

This half page will give any medical provider a good picture of you, your health, your issues. and get a record started. I put a blue "star of life" symbol at the top - it's an X with a vertical line through it in blue. If you are unconscious, confused, and maybe alone, EMTs will look in wallets and pockets for an ID, especially medical alerts.

 

This is also very handy for us if we go to the ship's infirmary, or any doctor's visit at home for that matter. But there are times traveling that we are separated, we may go on different excursions for example, or one of us goes back to the ship while the other stops to shop a bit :). But it's good to have the info written down becasue in an emergency a companion may not remember all this info, and could even overlook an important aspect such as a medication allergy. We carry this with our passport photo in a zip-lock bag and I keep in on the computer to update as things change. Don't leave home without it and I hope you never need it!

m--

[Copper10-8]

Carry your medical information with you!

We always carry a half-page piece of paper with our medical information. It's in our wallets, or if we go ashore without wallets it's on our person. It lists:

- Name, Date of Birth, Age, Medical Conditions (such as, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, anything you are on medication for or should be); Allergies to medicaations

- Contacts; I list the doctor(s) who know the most about these conditions and their phone numbers, plus primary (next of kin, usually spouse who is with you) and secondary (family/friend/pastor or chaplain) points of contact at home

- Medications - first, name of prescription med, dose and frequency; then other meds we may be carrying in case of need including pain meds, cold meds, etc. Then daily vitamins and supplements.

- Medical History - onset dates of major medical conditions and surgeries, plus last cancer screening such as last colonoscopy date

- Family medical history in brief, which may be of importance if a doctor is try to figure out what's going on with you

- Immunization dates including tetanus shots, pneumonia, shingles, influenza, hepatitis and any travel shots like Yellow Fever which will have other documentation but list it here so all the info is in one place fast.

 

This half page will give any medical provider a good picture of you, your health, your issues. and get a record started. I put a blue "star of life" symbol at the top - it's an X with a vertical line through it in blue. If you are unconscious, confused, and maybe alone, EMTs will look in wallets and pockets for an ID, especially medical alerts.

 

This is also very handy for us if we go to the ship's infirmary, or any doctor's visit at home for that matter. But there are times traveling that we are separated, we may go on different excursions for example, or one of us goes back to the ship while the other stops to shop a bit :). But it's good to have the info written down becasue in an emergency a companion may not remember all this info, and could even overlook an important aspect such as a medication allergy. We carry this with our passport photo in a zip-lock bag and I keep in on the computer to update as things change. Don't leave home without it and I hope you never need it!

m--

 

Sound advice Maureen, thanks!

[RMLincoln]

Sound advice Maureen, thanks!

And same to you John. I copied your list into my travel folder! m--

[sail7seas]

Great thread with such helpful info.

For a solo traveler such as I am, having that infformation in my pocket undoubtedly could be life saving if some one took a moment and checkedtro see if I had any ID on me..

[bleacher04]

This is a terrific thread, especially post #6 by Copper10-8 and posts #8 & #10 by RMLincoln. Thank you both!

IMO this thread should be a sticky.

[sail7seas]

Great thread with such helpful info.

For a solo traveler such as I am, having that infformation in my pocket undoubtedly could be life saving if some one took a moment and checkedtro see if I had any ID on me..

 

All of my doctors prepare and print a 'review of visit after every office visit. It provides info such as all my doctors nnames with their contact info, any medical conditions I have, medications and allergies. i always have a n upto date copy of tha t page in my pocketbtook I have to hope someone would look in my purse and ffind it. I don't know the policy of what is done IN THE ISLANDS or anywhere if someone like me is out alone, becomes ill or has an accident. I can only hope it doesn't happen to me away from home.

[Fairfield Nana]

If you are a member of Kaiser Medical insurance in the US, they offer a service of putting all this important personal medical info on a flash or thumb drive. We try to carry ours with us when we go off the ship, and hope we'll never need it.

 

Carry your medical information with you!

We always carry a half-page piece of paper with our medical information. It's in our wallets, or if we go ashore without wallets it's on our person. It lists:

- Name, Date of Birth, Age, Medical Conditions (such as, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, anything you are on medication for or should be); Allergies to medicaations

- Contacts; I list the doctor(s) who know the most about these conditions and their phone numbers, plus primary (next of kin, usually spouse who is with you) and secondary (family/friend/pastor or chaplain) points of contact at home

- Medications - first, name of prescription med, dose and frequency; then other meds we may be carrying in case of need including pain meds, cold meds, etc. Then daily vitamins and supplements.

- Medical History - onset dates of major medical conditions and surgeries, plus last cancer screening such as last colonoscopy date

- Family medical history in brief, which may be of importance if a doctor is try to figure out what's going on with you

- Immunization dates including tetanus shots, pneumonia, shingles, influenza, hepatitis and any travel shots like Yellow Fever which will have other documentation but list it here so all the info is in one place fast.

 

This half page will give any medical provider a good picture of you, your health, your issues. and get a record started. I put a blue "star of life" symbol at the top - it's an X with a vertical line through it in blue. If you are unconscious, confused, and maybe alone, EMTs will look in wallets and pockets for an ID, especially medical alerts.

 

This is also very handy for us if we go to the ship's infirmary, or any doctor's visit at home for that matter. But there are times traveling that we are separated, we may go on different excursions for example, or one of us goes back to the ship while the other stops to shop a bit :). But it's good to have the info written down becasue in an emergency a companion may not remember all this info, and could even overlook an important aspect such as a medication allergy. We carry this with our passport photo in a zip-lock bag and I keep in on the computer to update as things change. Don't leave home without it and I hope you never need it!

m--

[sail7seas]

If you are a member of Kaiser Medical insurance in the US, they offer a service of putting all this important personal medical info on a flash or thumb drive. We try to carry ours with us when we go off the ship, and hope we'll never need it.

 

 

I live on the right coast (outside Boston) - I don't know anyone who has Kaisser, We have such hos pitals as Mass General, Brigham and Womans, Tufts etc.

[CHOPPERTESTER]

You can always take a photo of the port agent info with your phone.

[sail7seas]

You can always take a photo of the port agent info with your phone.

 

:oI am among those who has no particular use or wish for a smart phone and never got one.

[Sue from Canada]

Having the port agent's phone # with you while ashore is always a good idea, but you're not going to call that number if one of your parents, God forbid, is having a medical emergency while ashore on a beach in Road Town, Tortola and/or in Cockburn Town, Grand Turk. You need a medical response right now, and calling, or trying to call the port agent, is going to add precious minutes to that response. Secondly, if this were to occur, you would have to have a cell/mobile phone in your possession with an international plan with which you could actually reach the local emergency services.

Your best plan is to ask a local, hopefully in possession of a cell phone, to call that island's emergency services and have them respond to your location, If no cell phone on hand, run into a nearby business; store, a restaurant, tell the employee you have a medical emergency and have them call for assistance.

Be aware that when you call 911 in most North American cities, you will get a Fire Dept. response, usually including Fire paramedics with advanced life support training, as well as an engine company for manpower. With the exception of San Juan, Puerto Rico and Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, whose emergency responders are trained to North American standards (to European standards in the ABC islands/Sint Maarten and Martinique), you might not get that ykind of response in some of the other Caribbean islands. There, you will probably get a local ambulance with EMTs/basic life support training (sometimes a doctor will be onboard) but everything helps

Know the name of the location on that island that you are physically at, i.e. Maho Beach

Not sure if you're talking a seven or ten-day Caribbean trip on Koningsdam, but if you are:

Emergency Services - be aware that not every country uses 911:

Cockburn Town, Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos - call 911

San Juan, PR - call 911

Road Town, Tortola, BVI call 999

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, USVI - call 911

Amber Cove, Dominican Republic - call 911

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas - Local/ship's medical post near entrance to the main plaza

Kralendijk, Bonaire - call 911

Willemstad, Curacao - call 112

Oranjestad, Aruba - call 911

Philipsburg, Sint Maarten - call 911

Castries, St. Lucia - call 999

Bridgetown, Barbados - call 115

Fort-de-France, Martinique - call 15

Basseterre, Saint Kitts - call 911

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/dam/students-abroad/pdfs/911_ABROAD.pdf

 

Great info Copper10 (as always:):))

[pcur]

Our Sr Advantage HMO has printouts you can get directly from their web site with all your prescriptions, dosage, last date filled, etc. Also, the last doctor visit has the primary diagnosis(es), blood pressure, weight, height. I print all of these as pdf files and keep them on my iphone in ibooks.

[RMLincoln]

We [EMTs] certainly do look for IDs and any medical information on a person, in their pockets or in a handbag, backpack, etc. It is not against our [uS] law [....searches and seizures...] if it is warranted by a medical event for medical aid. We do this for unconscious and semi-conscious patients who do not have a companion, otherwise we take direction from the patient or companion [in that order] and don't just go rummaging around willy-nilly.

In a residence we will also look on the refrigerator, bathroom mirror, inside the bathroom medicine cabinets, and on nightstands for clues, medications, and lists such as I outlined.

I work in a rural fire department as a volunteer EMT and firefighter. As volunteers we frequently have multiple responders available on a scene, giving us extra hands to do such things. But city ambulances usually only have 2 EMTs/Paramedics, one will serve as a driver and the other will attend to the patient, so they may not have as much opportunity to search for info; I offer this as an insight to encourage everyone to have their medical information as available as possible. Most of us don't want to advertise our issues on our refrigerator, but you can fold it over with the Star of Life on the outside, and put one in your bathroom also, either on the mirror or in the medicine cabinet. Having 1 page held by a magnet or light tape makes it much easier for us to grab it and go!

Again, I hope you never need us! m--

[TiogaCruiser]

I learned about this when I recertified for BCLS:

 

Populate your emergency contact and other medical information on your smart cell phone. When the lock screen is on, your emergency info so entered is available by tapping Emergency. First responders in our area are supposed to check there too.

 

In iOS, this info is entered in the specific fields in the Health App. I just noticed there is now a place to enter the local default emergency number to call for help. Find it in Settings, SOS.

[CHOPPERTESTER]

:oI am among those who has no particular use or wish for a smart phone and never got one.

 

I get it. LOL You're old school, pen and paper works just as well.;p

[sail7seas]

We [EMTs] certainly do look for IDs and any medical information on a person, in their pockets or in a handbag, backpack, etc. It is not against our [uS] law [....searches and seizures...] if it is warranted by a medical event for medical aid. We do this for unconscious and semi-conscious patients who do not have a companion, otherwise we take direction from the patient or companion [in that order] and don't just go rummaging around willy-nilly.

In a residence we will also look on the refrigerator, bathroom mirror, inside the bathroom medicine cabinets, and on nightstands for clues, medications, and lists such as I outlined.

I work in a rural fire department as a volunteer EMT and firefighter. As volunteers we frequently have multiple responders available on a scene, giving us extra hands to do such things. But city ambulances usually only have 2 EMTs/Paramedics, one will serve as a driver and the other will attend to the patient, so they may not have as much opportunity to search for info; I offer this as an insight to encourage everyone to have their medical information as available as possible. Most of us don't want to advertise our issues on our refrigerator, but you can fold it over with the Star of Life on the outside, and put one in your bathroom also, either on the mirror or in the medicine cabinet. Having 1 page held by a magnet or light tape makes it much easier for us to grab it and go!

Again, I hope you never need us! m--

 

Thank you, Maureen. This info is reassuring for someone like me who is almost t always alone when off a ship and often at home r i n groccery store etc or driving A neighbor of mine is a police officer, knows my solo circumstance and I ve shared necessary information with him. I suspect he has shared ed with emergency responders in my community.