http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119318197257869091.html?mod=hpp_us_personal_journal

This is interesting - scary, but interesting.

Peggy

Peggy,

We saw that this morning too. Yes, it's scary. My friends husband is an ER MD. and he works about twice a year on Holland America through an agency that only uses US Md's. Makes me wonder if we needed any medical attention that we felt was serious, if we disagreed with the ship MD, what we would do. It's not like you can just get off in the middle of the Atlantic for a 2nd opinion.

This does not surprise me at all. Things like doctors, the gift shops, and many personnel are not employees of the cruise line. They are more like "vendors". It is unfortunate that medical care is taken so lightly on cruise ships, but realistically, they are not hospitals or emergency rooms,just consultants.
Lynn

Sounds like we are hearing a one sided story regarding Navigator. For a judge to make the guy pay Carlson's legal costs seems to indicate that the suit was frivolous.

No complaints from me regarding the doctors. We have only used their services twice and both times was fine.

Marc,

I do remember the good care your MIL got in Bermuda. And I think about Betty/Greywolf's experience - you could not ask for more.

I think the debate is not so much over the quality of medical care on ships, but the lack of recourse if you are the rare victim of malpractice.

In the US you still have the right to sue. But it seems that if the malpractice occurs on a ship, you don't. Tom.

I work in a very busy ER in Las Vegas and without the proper testing equiptment (cat scan, ultra sound, radiology) doctors can only do so much. Everyone that comes in with a blow to the head gets a cat scan to see if there is a bleed. The ship's docotr should just stabalize and send to the nearest ER or trauma center. Basically, they have just a small clinic on board like a quick care or urgent care. There are always doctors and nurses and pharmacists on board as passengers if needed. It is up to the ship's doctor to ask for assistance. The man that had the heart attack case is inexcusable. They must of run an EKG or two. He should of been taken off the ship and had a full cardiac work-up in a real hospital. That doctor should take the responsibility. I do think that ship's doctors should all be trained ER docs and not some retired country doctor. There definitely should be an accredidation for ship doctors to pass some kind of an international exam. And they should have continuing education to get re-certified every few years.