Injured overseas, instead of going to hospital, I boarded a cruise

I really should write a book called The Accidental Traveller. Or perhaps The Accident-prone Traveller.

Adding to my collection of “war” wounds suffered in the service of travel journalism I can now add a three-inch scar across my knee, gained when it met the edge of a white marble step in Istanbul.

I have excuses.

Explora I in Istanbul. Like most cruise lines, Explora Journeys equips its medical centres for straightforward emergencies and first aid.

It was in dazzling sunshine. I had been visiting a hammam and museum and had come up to the rooftop terrace before exiting. The taxi that was to take me back to my hotel had arrived early, and an attendant was calling me from the other side of the terrace.

I hurried. Adjusting to the brilliant light, I entirely missed the fact that there were steps.

I tripped, landed hard on a hip and whacked my opposite knee on the edge of the step.

I was embarrassed and lucky. Nothing was broken. I suffered a deep cut, a massive bruise and a rather more painful bone bruise.

But I was determined it wouldn’t ruin my trip, even though it later involved a lot of hobbling around Athens, a city with notoriously uneven and broken pavements.

What the accident did do was bring me into contact, once again, with a ship’s medical centre.

Last year, I had a tooth emergency onboard Silversea’s Silver Nova, and I discovered the infirmary downstairs. They didn’t have the facility to treat the tooth and so arranged for a visit to a dentist onshore in Kotor, Montenegro.

I wrote about it then and about the wisdom of having travel insurance that covered cruises.

In Istanbul, the taxi took me back to my hotel. I was a bit rattled, my knee roughly bandaged and bleeding badly. The concierge suggested I go to the American Hospital, which was about 40 minutes away.

I was about to board the ship Explora I that afternoon for a seven-day cruise and I didn’t want to be sitting in a hospital emergency room for hours, alone. So I decided to try my luck with the ship’s doctor – and it was a good call.

Ship infirmaries have limited hours, but once inside my treatment was swift.Credit: iStock

Most passengers are lucky enough never to need to visit a ship’s infirmary. But for the elderly, or those with chronic health conditions, they’re added security in case of an unexpected medical episode.

The Cruise Lines International Association requires that member cruise lines with ocean-going ships of 100 passengers or more need to meet or exceed certain medical standards. Many doctors are members of the American College of Emergency Physicians.

Ships carry basic medical equipment, such as defibrillators and oxygen tanks, which are essential in emergency situations.

Explora Journeys, like most cruise lines, equips its medical centres for straightforward emergencies, minor conditions and first aid. Their doctors are not specialists.

Mostly these physicians treat sea sickness, minor accidents, allergies, insect bits and contagious illnesses such as the dreaded norovirus. Sometimes incidents are more serious, such as heart attacks. Doctors decide if patients are fit enough to continue travelling or if they need land-based care.

In my experience, the infirmaries are quite busy. They have limited hours, usually one or two hours in the mornings and afternoons.

Once onboard in Istanbul, I had to wait a couple of hours for Explora I’s medical centre to open at 4pm. But once inside, my treatment was swift.

The young South African doctor told me the clinic had an X-ray machine, but he thought I hadn’t broken anything. The cut was “nasty”, and I needed five stitches.

The room became a mini operating theatre, with a nurse assisting. I was hooked up to a monitor tracking my vitals.

I was stitched, bandaged carefully and told I was fine to walk around. I would need painkillers, but I always bring my own.

I had the added security of knowing if the knee became infected or too painful, I had the doctors and pharmacy on tap to help for the next seven days.

I returned the following day for the wound to be checked and the bandage changed. It healed well.

I thought the fee was reasonable. I was billed in euros (our exchange rate is more painful than my accident) for about $700. The account was itemised, and my travel insurance paid within two weeks of me sending a claim.

I hope I never have to write a column about a medical incident again.

But if I do, I have complete trust in onboard doctors to get me ship shape.

The writer was a guest of Silversea and Explora Journeys.