Aug 25, 2014
Gary Bembridge author of "The
Cruise Traveler's Handbook" provides another 60-Second Cruise
Tip. For more visit http://www.60secondcruisetips.com and subscribe
free to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher
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What if I fall ill?
Maritime law requires ships at sea with over 12 passengers to have
a doctor on board. You are likely to find 24-hour medical cover on
cruise ships and a facility staffed by doctors and nurses to deal
with everything from minor injuries and daily problems through to
serious medical issues. Your on-board account is charged if you use
the service, and it costs about the same as accessing land-based
private medical care. You will be given a receipt to make an
insurance claim if you are covered.
With serious medical cases the medical center stabilizes and make
patients comfortable until they can be offloaded to hospital. If
the problem is acute and the ship is far from land but accessible
by helicopter the patient may be evacuated. The facilities are
impressive and even include a high-dependency room (i.e. close to
intensive care ), they can take x-rays and have a large pharmacy of
drugs.
River cruise ships do not have medical facilities and refer you to
local doctors and medical centres along the route. Freighters
taking fare-paying passengers carry less than 12 people to avoid
having to provide medical cover.