Cruise Ship Passenger Airlifted After Suffering Medical Emergency At Sea

A woman cruise ship passenger who fell ill was airlifted by the U.S. Coast Guard on Sunday night at sea.

According to cruise news, the woman and her husband were taken out of the cruise ship Norwegian Escape on Sept. 1, Sunday by 9.54 pm and admitted to a hospital. But she has not been identified

According to the Coast Guard sources, a crew member of the ship called up Coast Guard's Delaware Bay command center on Sept. 1 telling that a 39-year-old woman aboard was “having issues” and required medical treatment.

The ship was 40 miles east of Manasquan Inlet.

The Coast Guard evacuated the woman from the cruise ship by sending an aircrew aboard an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter that flew into the scene and hoisted up the woman and her husband. She was put at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Galloway. The Norwegian Escape cruise ship was carrying more than 4,000 guests who are covered under various cruise deals.

There was no update on her condition.

Survey on cruise travelers about medical emergencies

Meanwhile, a survey by travel insurance provider Allianz Global Assistance revealed that a majority of Americans (55.5 percent) do not feel cruise ships are equipped to tackle serious medical emergencies.

This showed a declining trust on cruise ships in the matter of medical emergencies.

Last year, 60 percent of Americans were expressing that cruise ships could handle medical emergencies. The survey was conducted during the peak of Wave Season, the company said.

The respondents also differed on the estimated cost of an air ambulance evacuation to the U.S. from cruise ships in Mexico or the Caribbean. Respondents said the cost of air ambulance can vary from $10,000 to $20,000.

“While cruising has become an increasingly popular vacation choice among Americans, consumers are wary of cruise lines’ ability to care for them during a medical emergency,” said Daniel Durazo, director of communications for Allianz Global Assistance USA, in a statement.

He said the Wave Season survey showed that cruisers have become more sophisticated and Smart cruisers are covering themselves with travel insurance to be medically evacuated to a facility properly equipped to treat them.

Normally, most cruise lines have doctors on board who can handle medical concerns on a ship including emergency services.

Doctors handle stitches or problems like setting broken bones and also communicate with doctors on land if they need more guidance.

The most common issue on ships is food poisoning which the medical team is well-equipped to handle including cases of norovirus.

But if a passenger is seriously ill and needs extensive care, the medical staff would disembark that person for better medical care at the nearest port.