Crew Illness - The Human Touch Matters

A British Master suffered a heart attack in Egypt and was promptly transported to a local hospital along with his wife who was travelling with him. Upon examination it quickly became apparent that his condition was serious and that surgery would be required.

Due to the serious nature of the illness, the Club instructed their own local English speaking doctor, who arrived on the scene the next day, in order to assess the Master’s condition, review the treatment plan and discuss the management of the Master’s condition with the local doctor. The doctor was also able to act as a translator for the Master and his wife in order to explain to them the seriousness of the condition as well as the reason for the recommended surgery.

The Master’s wife was understandably anxious and became emotional over the course of the next 24 hours or so.

Fortunately, North’s appointed doctor was also able to provide significant emotional support to the wife.

However, after much discussion between the Master, his wife and the treating doctors and with the assistance of North’s doctor acting as interpreter, it was agreed that the Master
could return to the UK to undergo surgery with our doctor acting as a medical escort. Over the next day or so, arrangements were made to fly the Master to the UK and for him to be immediately admitted to his local hospital for surgery.

Following arrival in the UK, North arranged for a medical escort to accompany the Master on the journey to his local hospital in order to facilitate the handover to the receiving medical team.

Some weeks later, North’s appointed doctor received an email from the Master’s wife providing a brief update in regards to her husband’s progress and also to thank the team for the care and assistance which they had received throughout what was a very stressful week for them both.

The incident serves to remind us that when dealing with seriously ill or injured crew members, we should be aware that there are likely to be other concerned family members at home. It can assist greatly if shipowners keep the family fully advised as to the condition of the crew member via the most appropriate channels, either directly or through manning agents. Demonstrating care to seafarers and their families can have great benefits such as increased crew loyalty, better retention rates, faster return to work and more amicable claims settlements where liability is an issue.