What happens when you fall sick on a cruise?

To a lot of people booking a cruise may not be an annual holiday, it may be a once in a life time experience where it's important that every single aspect is perfect. To be honest even if it's not a once in a life time experience, even if you're the kind of person that likes to cruise three of four times a year, it's still nice to know that everything will go according to plan.
But what happens when things don't? What happens when you fall ill on a cruise ship?

All cruise ships have some kind of medical facility onboard and a general rule of thumb is that the newer the ship the better the medical facilities will be. That being said all cruise ships will be able to deal with minor problems from sea sickness issues right through to broken bones.
Some cruise lines go one step further - NCL for instance say they are equipped to deal with anything from thrombolyic therapy to x-ray, (no I've no idea what that is either).
In more serious situations like a serious heart attack or a stroke it may become necessary to medevac you to land. Most big cruise ships have heli pads these days although if you are on a smaller ship you might need to be air lifted from the top deck, or depending on the severity of your condition the ships doctor might decide to wait till you arrive in port. That decision will always lie in the hand of the ships doctor.
It's worth noting that you may be asked to pay for some of these services which is why it's always so important to have a good level of travel insurance before you travel.
I'll admit it's a bit of a morbid blog today but I think it's reassuring that cruise ships are so prepared to deal with emergencies these days. I know I feel safer cruising knowing the amount of technology down in the medical bay.
What about you though? Have you ever fallen sick on a cruise? Was it serious? Could they treat you onboard or did they have to remove you from the cruise?
Let me know about your experiences here.

Happy cruising