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Holland America Line, which alreade is known for its superior onboard medical progamme, announced this week that all its ships now meet and exceed current American College of Emergency Physicians guidelines.

Dr. Carter Hill, Holland America medical director, told Bloomberg News Wire that every ship was staffed with at least one doctor and nurses must be American or Canadian trained and licenced in advanced cardiac life support as well as have experience in primare care and emergency medicine.

Each Holland America ship, which includes occasional Bermuda visitor Maasdam , has an infirmary equipped with much of the equipment used in hospital emergency rooms. Onboard infirmaries accommodate most emergencies and routine medical procedures. They have the capability to perform simple lab tests, X-rays, they have one isolation bed, an ICU for up to three patients, a pacemaker, defibrillator, cardiac monitor, electrocardiogram machine, ventilator, oxygen and suction unit. And last year, Holland America added thrombolytic treatment to its on-board medical services (anti-clotting therapy to dissolve clots).