Alan, Hi.
Our thanks to you for starting such an important topic. I've only ever considered what I would do if Mary-Jane became ill.........
We're fortunate enough to have a marine VHF and Mary-Jane has the licences; so we would certainly not hesitate to use it and put our a "Pan Pan Medico" or "Mayday" on channel 16 to Humber Radio. (I talked to them on Breydon recently with our handheld).
Medical assistance
A "pan-pan medico" call is appropriate if someone becomes injured or in need of medical help at sea. If the vessel is heading to shore and wants to be met by an ambulance crew, the local Coast Guard station can arrange this. A doctor or other trained medical advisor may also be available on the radio, perhaps by patching through via telephone from ashore or from a nearby vessel. If there is immediate risk to life, then a Mayday call is more appropriate. "Pan-pan medico" is no longer in official use.[9]
Marine Rescue Organisations, such as Coastal Patrol, Coast Guard, and Search and Rescue listen on marine radio frequencies for all distress calls including "pan-pan". These organisations can coordinate or assist and can relay such calls to other stations that may be better able to do so.