A Port Call with a Purpose: Seabourn Delivers Critical Care to Remote Island
Robinson Crusoe Island – located about 500 miles off the coast of Chile in the remote South Pacific – sees few visitors and even fewer cruise ships.
So when Seabourn Pursuit pulled into port this month, it wasn’t just another port call. For people who live there, it was a lifeline.
Since February of this year, the island has been without a working X-ray machine. Patients needing diagnostic imaging face a journey of hundreds of miles to mainland Chile – expensive, complicated – and for many – not an option.
Local health officials had a growing backlog of patients and nowhere to turn, so they asked Seabourn for help.
The ship’s medical team coordinated with Seabourn’s Health Operation Center to conduct X-ray exams for those who needed them – ranging in age from four to 71. Images were read remotely by partner HealthcareLive, allowing local doctors to move forward with diagnoses and treatment plans that had been on hold for months.
“It was a privilege to work alongside the local medical team,” said Dr. Nicolaas van der Merwe, Seabourn Pursuit’s senior doctor. “The gratitude from patients and families is something our crew will always remember.”
