[JourneyOfLife]

Something people might consider when making vacation plans out of the country. These articles highlight potential issues one might encounter if they have a serious medical emergency on cruises with certain itineraries. The same could be said for visiting certain countries if one has serious medical conditions.

The problem with us as we age, serious medical problems just seem to happen. Plus accidents.

Are cruise lines 'dumping' sick passengers? | Travel | The Seattle Times

Elderly Couple Says Cruise Line Left Them in Turkey to Face Medical Emergency - ABC News


Medical risk is one of those things that my wife and I consider when making travel plans now days. The older we get, the more risk averse we become.

IMO, its one thing to have a major medical crisis in Western Europe (e.g., Germany, England, etc). Quite another to have the same crisis in a developing or underdeveloped country.

Sometimes, things can turn into a runaway freight train (in a manner of speaking) requiring immediate major surgery.

We have visited plenty of developing countries in Latin America and the Caribbean over the years. Been there more times than most people we know. Now we tend to avoid some of them because of certain medical concerns. There are too many other places we have not visited in developed nations.

Be safe in your travel adventures!

[buggyone]

Unfortunate for those people but a cruise ship is not a hospital. It cannot be responsible for caring for haert attack victims and therefore will transfer them to a nearby hospital.

The extra insurance cost for medical evacuation via air ambulance for someone who is elderly or a previous existing condition is worth it.

I was treated in an ER at a Cozumel hospital for a dislocated shoulder. The ER was clean, doctor and nurses were very competent, and the drugs were GOOD. I had it checked by the ship doctor and he was impressed by the work done at the ER.

Never, though, would I accept a blood transfusion at a Third World country.

[VICAR OF DIBLEY]

I have gone to numerous hospitals in countries we have visited for blood work. Never had a problem, hospitals were always clean. Needles were brand new and in a sterile wrapper.

I was hospitalized for a month in Cuenca, Ecuador. The care I received in some ways was better than then at the trauma center where I was for a month. My doctor was trained in Switzerland, and the Chief of the Critical Care unit was invited each year to train physicians in the US.

We now have, this past year, extended medical care. This is medical insurance above the regular travel insurance that most people purchase. We purchased this in case we have a medical emergency where we need to be flown to another country, and need the care of a doctor and/or nurse during this flight.

We will continue to travel. Since our experience has been a positive one using a local hospital.

I needed blood transfusions while I was hospitalized in Ecuador. I had my blood typed in a US hospital. To make a long story short, they made a major error in informing me of my type of blood. In Ecuador they caught the error.

[KayakerNC]

In case you haven't already seen it.

Travel Insurance Primer for Cruise Travelers

Travel Insurance -- Pros and Cons - Cruises - Cruise Critic

[JourneyOfLife]

Anecdotes are fine. There is an old saying; "Any Port in a Storm".

There are some fine hospitals around the world and fine medical personnel staffing them.

But some might choose to more proactively manage their risk if they have a serious medical condition.

Of course, it is a personal decision... as well as that of the spouse, since they could end up managing the crisis if it occurred.

[JE Greenwood]

Originally Posted by buggyone

Unfortunate for those people but a cruise ship is not a hospital. It cannot be responsible for caring for haert attack victims and therefore will transfer them to a nearby hospital.

The extra insurance cost for medical evacuation via air ambulance for someone who is elderly or a previous existing condition is worth it.

I was treated in an ER at a Cozumel hospital for a dislocated shoulder. The ER was clean, doctor and nurses were very competent, and the drugs were GOOD. I had it checked by the ship doctor and he was impressed by the work done at the ER.

Never, though, would I accept a blood transfusion at a Third World country.

Buggyone,
Just out of curiosity, did your medical insurance cover any of the bills? Or did you have travel insurance.

[swrinfla]

I personally strongly urge any traveller to purchase some form of medical coverage when travelling, whether by land or water! As an example, I'll recite my experiences in 2012.

Doing a land/cruise with Holland America in Alaska, I contracted pneumonia just prior to boarding the Zuiderdam in Skagway. On-board medical personnel rightly diagnosed my condition as one which should/shouldn't be treated on the ship.

Bottom line: Medival evacuation expenses in addition to hospital costs in Juneau amounted to very nearly $50,000. My purchased medical emergency cover, bought from the cruise line, covered virtually everything with essentially no out-of-pocket costs from me!

SWR

[KayakerNC]

Originally Posted by JE Greenwood

Buggyone,
Just out of curiosity, did your medical insurance cover any of the bills? Or did you have travel insurance.

FYI, There are 2 types of Travel Insurance, Primary and Secondary. Primary insurance kicks in the moment something goes wrong -- before or during your trip. Secondary insurance means that you must attempt to collect from your private insurance policies before the trip insurance coverage activates.
Primary coverage is usually more expensive, but it generally combines better coverage with immediate claim service.