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Health Care in Spain
If you travel to Spain and you are worried about having health problems there, maybe the fact that the WHO has classified Spanish health care system at the 7th position in Europe will provide you some peace. Another indicator of Spanish medical system quality is that Spain is subject to medical tourism (where you can even find agencies organizing tours to Spain), arriving especially from the United Kingdom and Scandinavia.
Health centres are situated within 15 minutes of any residential place in Spain. Local surgeries are open on specific days with regional medical staff visiting in rural areas and small villages.
Health care system is free of charge (excluding dentistry) for children, students, unemployed people and homeless people. They are provided with the same quality and care as workers paying a social-health insurance, which covers complete health care at state-owned hospitals and other health care providing facilities. Although many people pay private health insurance and use private clinics for common medical check-ups, in case of serious health problems, which require hospitalization, most of them prefer state medical facilities because they get better treatment results and they have modern equipment available.
Before you go to Spain
You don’t need to have any special vaccination in order to visit this country. You should just check the validity of your tetanus vaccination because it is generally useful wherever you travel, does not matter if in Spain or in your own country.
If you are a resident of the European Union, you can use a European Health Insurance Card. Such card enables you to access free-of-charge or reduced-cost necessary medical care (such as illness or accident) whilst in Spain. The card provides tourists with public health care in state hospitals, equal to the care received by people insured in Spain.
Please note that dental care is not covered by the card in most of cases!!
You should know that the card will not allow you to visit a private medical unit and no refund will be provided to you on its basis. When visiting a private facility you either need to pay everything in cash or possess a travel medical insurance. To own a travel insurance card is reasonable nonetheless when travelling, but especially when you are not a resident of the European Union.
In case you suffer from a chronic health condition and need to visit a doctor regularly (for example, for a dialysis purpose or health problems), don’t forget to bring the European Health Insurance Card with you as it will cover all the medical treatment until your condition does not make it compulsory. It is advisable to take a letter describing your health and medicaments used from your doctor to Spain.
Medical treatment in Spain
If you need an English speaking doctor whilst in Spain you can check the Paginas Amarillas (Spanish Yellow Pages) or ask at your health insurance company (in case you are insured), to provide you with a list of doctors. However, it is recommended to learn a couple of Spanish vocabularies and phrases. If you suffer from some medical problems, you should focus on getting a translation of the medical information you bring to this country.
Here are some Spanish terms of health care institutions:
Consultorio = Consulting Centre
Ambulatorio = Ambulance
Centro de salud = Medical Facility
Hospital = Hospital
You can present your European Health Insurance Card or your travel insurance details in these places.
Medicaments
You can get many medicaments without a prescription in Spain (antibiotics included). Nevertheless, you will need a prescription if you apply for reimbursement.
Anyway, it is recommended to take your regular medication with you, and if you don’t, it is advisable to ask your doctor for generic names of your medicine as drug names vary often from state to state
Common opening hours of Spanish pharmacies are:
Mondays to Fridays: From 9.30 am to 2 pm and 5 pm to 9.30 pm
Saturdays: From 9.30 am to 2 pm
24-hour pharmacies can be found in bigger cities.
Emergency numbers
112 – the most important number in Spain = for all kinds of emergencies
061 - Ambulance
062 - Guardia Civil (Civil Guard)
080 - Bomberos (fire fighters)
091 - Policia Nacional (National Police)
Other information
For more details about Spanish Medical Care please visit www.msps.es (Ministry of Health, Social Policy and Equality)
Medical schools in Spain
This link leads you to all the information about medical schools, curricula, and all methodological tools compulsory in these schools in Spain; Ensure your training will allow you to make apt health diagnoses, promote human development and generate a comprehensive approach to clinical teaching and medical.
Nursing schools in Spain
Nursing schools benefit the updating and professional development of nurses creatively, through programs, seminars, consultancies for schools, and specialization in various areas. Nursing Schools in Spain promote healthy lifestyles, restore and maintain the health of people and the prevention of injuries and illnesses. Nursing career is a means to have welfare and be productive in this society.
Pharmacy schools in Spain
Pharmacy schools in Spain provide the necessary training to pursue a career developing educational programs and courses. They provide you with the necessary knowledge of physiology and anatomy to understand the origin of diseases, to make you apt to prepare formulas, tools, handling and packaging of products, and all the necessary factors to part-take in this career effectively.
Dental schools in Spain
Dental schools have the primary purpose of training professionals able to prevent, diagnose and treat diseases related to oral health. This link gives you information about dental colleges and major universities with a wide choice of dental education class. We are confident that in Spain you’ll find the tools to develop suitable skills for professional performance efficient.
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