"Staff went the extra mile to help us"

My partner and I were to board a cruise to New Zealand recently.

A few weeks prior, my partner saw the local GP for medication for an ongoing flu. During the flight from Perth to Sydney and the stayover at the hotel, they had pain throughout their body leaving them in a weak condition.

Arriving on the cruise, the doctor in charge performed tests and decided we had to leave the ship. As my partner was in need of care, it would have been irresponsible of me to continue the cruise by myself. The Cruise staff arranged for an ambulance to pick us up from the ship and take us to the Sydney Hospital/ Sydney Eye Hospital. My partner attended the hospital for several days.

Procedures were in place to contact and inform the travel insurance agency and places in authority. As ongoing treatment was needed, the doctor advised not to re-join the cruise and a certificate of clearance was not provided. Therefore, the return trip to Perth was not an option.

The staff of the hospital, 2nd floor, established that the main office of the travel insurance agency was located overseas. Before the discharge of my partner and after, the social worker Beata, the nurse manager, Katarina, and Sandy, the manager in charge of the 2nd floor, worked continuously with overseas phone calls (from 1 person to another) to fax and e-mail the results of the tests. They even had to call the doctor on the phone to forward the required information to the overseas insurance agency. They requested a flight back to Perth for both of us as soon as possible and the insurance confirmed the flights.

Only with the selfless and continuous help of the social worker, Beata, the nurse manager, Katarina, and Sandy working, even after hours making sure that things were alright, was it possible to locate and deal with the overseas insurance office.

We are so grateful to all the staff of the 2nd floor of the Sydney Eye Hospital, the doctors, nurses and everybody went the extra mile to help us. We can't thank them enough for their outstanding service and concern.