However, in general, all ships carrying over 50 passengers do have hospital facilities and carry at least one licensed doctor aboard ship. Usually there is a reasonably equipped hospital in miniature, although the standard of medical practice and of the physicians themselves may vary from cruise line to cruise line.
Most shipboard doctors are generalists.
There are no cardiologist or neurosurgeons. The doctors are often employed as outside contractors and therefore charge for the use of their services. Passengers from the United Kingdom should note that cruise ships fall outside the U.K. National Health Service program. Most ships that cater to North American passengers tend to carry doctors licensed in the United States, Canada or Britain, but aboard many other ships, doctors come from a variety of countries and disciplines. Some medical organizations, such as the American College of Emergency Physicians, have created a special division for cruise medicine.