Beware of lack of Duty of care of Medical staff on MSC Orchestra

[monicajay]

I am very sorry to read about your bad experience while traveling. Bad things happen.

 

I don't think MSC is to blame particularly in this case.

 

No cruise line pretends to have a real hospital. They are clinics at best. If he got up and left there is not much they could do about it.

 

Hope your husband's health improves quickly.

[IndyDenise]

One last post to IndyDenise

 

Re your comments that we lied on our form that we filled in prior to boarding the cruise. We were never given any form to fill in, that asked about being sick etc so how could we lie about it. In fact I have never heard of such a thing. Then again we were first time cruisers so obviously did not know all the rules, and that you never leave your loved ones in the care of the ship doctors or you might not see them again.

 

Janderra

 

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I DO feel badly for your situation, I just do not think MSC is to blame for any of your husband's health issues.

 

I, with my whole heart, hope he recovers one day.

[IndyDenise]

From the MSC website:

 

The Passenger warrants that he is fit to travel by sea and that his conduct or condition will not impair the safety of the Cruise Ship or inconvenience the other Passengers. Any passenger with a condition that may affect his fitness to travel is strongly encouraged to check with their personal physician regarding their ability to travel and to obtain a written physician's certificate of Passenger's fitness for an international sea voyage.

 

I also found this : Guests should confer with their family physician to ensure they are fit for travel by sea. Although the ship's doctor and medical personnel may wear uniforms or badges with an MSC insignia, the doctor and medical personnel are independent contractors

 

 

I couldn't find the form online that I have signed on other cruise lines, but I do remember it does ask if you have any vomiting/intestional issues. However since MSC isn't US based maybe they don't use them?

 

I think your original doctor should have kept your husband and told you "no way" to the cruise. He just was not well enough to travel, especially on a cruise ship.

[GOLDENBONNY]

At what age should the limit be for trips like this?

 

 

Sorry flight form Australia to Europe ,visiting 4 countries ,getting sick AND go on cruise??? I am 40 it would be too much for me.

[TravelRocker]

Hi OP, I feel your pain, (to a much lesser extent). My husband got separated from me at a huge Market in London and it was hours and hours before we met up again. I was sick with fear and even had Scotland Yard involved. (This was before cell phones and walkie talkies were used).

 

Did any of your Doctors mention that maybe your hubbie had a stoke or more than one that has effected his memory??? Just curious. It seems just awful that dehydration could cause all this but he is a Senior and maybe there are different factors. Hope he is well enough in the future to travel again and I know you'll not leave him alone if this should happen again. I do agree with GoldenBonny though that your Itinerary is pretty strenuous! Happy Travels!

[Starlight Durban Cruising]

The medical form that Indydenise is referring to is either EU mandated or a international requirement that must be filled out and signed by passengers at check-in, before they let you board. I've had to sign one before every MSC cruise I've taken in the last few years. It's very doubtful that Janderra could have boarded without doing it.

 

I've cruised MSC from South Africa and we had to fill in the form there. In the USA Carnival Cruises uses a similar form. So it appears that such forms must be used in almost all world zones.

[Janderra]

Hello again,

Well I am sorry I do not remember filling in any form about our state of health prior to boarding this vessel, and if it said anything about gastric, vomiting etc I would have remembered. When we boarded the ship he had not had any vomiting or gastric for about 36 hours but just felt unwell, which is why I took him to the hospital.

 

I think that someone saying that 76 is too old for this trip should look at the age of some of the passengers on this ship. I spent 1 hour speaking to a woman who is 88 and travels on these cruises every year and next year has booked a cruise including a gentleman to escort her to dinner and dancing ever year. I say good on her, enjoy life to the full as long as you can. There were also a number of people of all ages in wheelchairs etc. I also know a number of people with mobility issues who take cruises every year as they say this is the easiest way for them to travel.

I now would think twice about a cruise if I had any of these problems as in an emergency it would be impossible for these people to escape this ship.

 

Yes we travelled 4 countries but did so in the slow travel way, taking over 11 weeks to do it and always staying 7 days in each area before moving on by short bus, ferry or plane hops. I didnt feel that the flight from Instanbul to Barcelona at 3hours 45 mins if I remember rightly to be a long flight.

 

My point is my husband did not get up in the clinic and say I am well enough to go, they basically kicked him out and closed the doors after taking him to reception and telling him to ask for another cruise card and then taking him back the clinic and charging his cruise card, they then closed the doors on him 30 mins prior to the time they told me they were closing.

I told the doctor that morning that he was confused and didnt know his way around the ship or remember boarding the ship. They told me not to worry as a lot of people with low blood pressure and dehydration could suffer confusing and to return to pick him at 12.30pm. I returned at 11.30pm and was told again, come back at 12.30pm. I blame myself and will regret it until the day I die that I didnt stay with him however I think that the medical staff have to take some responsibility as well, considering they closed the doors of the clinic and tossing him out.

I was told initially by the reception that the medical staff left him at reception (they think) but couldnt contact the doctors or nurses as they had already left the ship for a day off.

At 4pm when I returned to the ship after searching I was told by the guest relations officer that they had contacted the medical receptionist and that she had escorted my husband to his cabin 1123 at the rear of the ship and let him in to the cabin and told him to lay down and wait for me. A good cover story I think as it was impossible for him to be taken to his cabin ( 2 different lifts and a long corridor) after 12.00pm (when the new cruise was issued), and then find his way back along a long corridor and 2 lifts to the 4th deck to leave the ship at 12.20pm.

My husband has never had any memory problems prior to this and the doctors here in Australia says the confusion and memory loss was brought on by dehydration and low blood pressure. Then 24 hours of exposure to the elements caused shock and total Amnesia, loss of memory. There was no evidence on the brain scans, MRI's etc of any stroke.

 

He is slowly recovering and has about 60% of his memory back and hopefully one day will recover it all. His general health is back to excellant and in fact the doctors say that only the fact that he was so fit and walks 2 kilometres every day, does not drink or smoke and eats a healthy diet allowed him to survive at all. So I find the person that says 76 is too old to travel offensive.

However there are some people even on these forums who are very cruel.

Again thanks for all the good wishes

Janderra

[IndyDenise]

He is slowly recovering and has about 60% of his memory back and hopefully one day will recover it all. His general health is back to excellant and in fact the doctors say that only the fact that he was so fit and walks 2 kilometres every day, does not drink or smoke and eats a healthy diet allowed him to survive at all. So I find the person that says 76 is too old to travel offensive.

However there are some people even on these forums who are very cruel.

Again thanks for all the good wishes

Janderra

 

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I am glad that he is ( slowly ) making a recovery. I wish you and your husband many years of happy travels and new experiences!:)

[IndyDenise]

Hello again,

Well I am sorry I do not remember filling in any form about our state of health prior to boarding this vessel, and if it said anything about gastric, vomiting etc I would have remembered. When we boarded the ship he had not had any vomiting or gastric for about 36 hours but just felt unwell, which is why I took him to the hospital.

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My husband got food poisoning in Instanbul 2 days prior to boarding the cruise and after consulting a doctor, he said that my husband was fit enough to fly to Spain to board the cruise.

As my husband was still not feeling well and having problems eating because of quesiness in the stomach and gastric

 

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I guess I am confused because you said he was sick 2 days prior to the cruise, then you say he was well for 36 hours before the cruise.

 

Then I get confused again because originally you say he was queasy and gastric when he boarded....then you say he wasn't gastric when he boarded, just unwell.

 

Personally it just doesn't sit well with me when someone boards a ship ( or a plane ) when they are unwell with vomiting/gastric. You put everyone else around at risk to catch it too....:mad:

[All aboard??]

Hello again,

Well I am sorry I do not remember filling in any form about our state of health prior to boarding this vessel, and if it said anything about gastric, vomiting etc I would have remembered. When we boarded the ship he had not had any vomiting or gastric for about 36 hours but just felt unwell, which is why I took him to the hospital.

---------------------------------------------------------

My husband got food poisoning in Instanbul 2 days prior to boarding the cruise and after consulting a doctor, he said that my husband was fit enough to fly to Spain to board the cruise.

As my husband was still not feeling well and having problems eating because of quesiness in the stomach and gastric

 

--------------------------------------------------------------

 

I guess I am confused because you said he was sick 2 days prior to the cruise, then you say he was well for 36 hours before the cruise.

 

Then I get confused again because originally you say he was queasy and gastric when he boarded....then you say he wasn't gastric when he boarded, just unwell.

 

Personally it just doesn't sit well with me when someone boards a ship ( or a plane ) when they are unwell with vomiting/gastric. You put everyone else around at risk to catch it too....:mad:

 

And then still expect the clinic to detain him when he was clearly (on face value that is) coherent enough to obtain a new cruise card.