define 'emergency'. they are not going to refill an Rx you forgot. they can stabilize a heart attack or attack of appendicitis until you can be airlifted off. the fees are pretty steep, and they go on your ship board account and you have to wrestle with your travel insurance/regular medical insurance for reimbursement later. my most recent cruise has 2 Alphas( medical emergency) one was a seizure and she recovered on her own. the other a woman fell on the pool deck and banged up her left side( elbow and leg) pretty badly and sported a nifty ace bandage the rest of the cruise. in both cases, they were on scene in under 3 minutes. ( friend of ours is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and just happened to be sunbathing not 5 feet forth seizure victim) hours are limited maybe 2-3 twice a day. they can handle simple things like sore throats and noro. they cannot and will not handle chemo, dialysis or anything like that.
OTC meds are available at a HUGE markup at the liquor store( which again., is only open certain hours of the day and not while in port)