Seabourn Pursuit helps locals on Robinson Crusoe Island

When Seabourn Pursuit visited Robinson Crusoe Island in Chile’s Juan Fernandez Islands on April 4, its crew provided urgent medical support to the local community.

People on the island have been without a functioning X-ray machine since February — and Seabourn Pursuit has one in its medical centre.

A spokesperson for Seabourn cruises explains: “The island, located around 800km west of Santiago, has no local imaging capability, meaning residents typically need to travel to mainland Chile for diagnostic scans.

“With limited transport options, this has left a backlog of patients unable to access care.”

Before the ship’s arrival, local health officials had asked for help.

“During the visit, the onboard medical team conducted X-rays for residents aged between four and 71, with scans reviewed via Seabourn’s telemedicine partner, enabling local doctors to proceed with diagnosis and treatment,” says the spokesperson.

“Given how infrequently ships call to the island, it’s a rare example of cruise medical infrastructure being used to support a remote community.”

ABOUT THE ISLAND

Sailor Alexander Selkirk was marooned on the island from 1704 to 1709 — which inspired Daniel Defoe’s novel Robinson Crusoe, published in 1719.

The book is widely considered the first English realist novel.

Though it was just one of several island survival stories of which Defoe would have been aware, the Chilean Government renamed what was Mas a Tierra to Robinson Crusoe Island in 1966.

The island was first named Juan Fernandez Island after Spanish captain and explorer Juan Fernandez landed here in 1574.

Robinson Crusoe Island is now a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, with extreme biodiversity and some eco-tourism.