illness onboard

[TheIrish]

Just as general interest, what happens if if someone gets seriously sick onboard, and the ship is way out of reach of any help? Is there like morphine on board or anything like that?

[edit: I changed the title from "sick aboard", because I had a particular image in my head of the deck of a ship looking like an English city centre on a Sunday morning... and to avoid any confusion between doctors and puke. nemo]

[Chiefy]

Re: Sick onboard

Oh yes yes yes yes

As with everything on here different ship types lead to different approaches.......

Cruises (mostly) have real doctors with a moderately good dispensary and you are in and out of port most days.

Real boats (he he he...containers, tankers, bulkies etc) dont, we have a hospital of sorts, the Captain / Mate and Second Mate are the Doctors, usually 2nd mate is in charge of the hospital and initial care, with the Captain backing him up and keeping the controlled drugs in the lockable fridge. All the companies have on thier books people they can reach out to for help and advice. IF it's really that bad then the ship can be diverted to meet a military ship, or into a port to land the person, I have done this once when we had to land an AB in Rio de Jenerio with apedicitus. Also Helicopters have a good range etc so there are loads of options there.

In the oil world, the rigs have good medical centers and a plentyful supply of choppers to get you to land / hopsital, though in some parts of the world the medical care on the rig would be better than the local hospital so you might be kept there

[TheIrish]

Re: Sick onboard

puts my mind at ease then lol