LIVING IN SPAIN – MEDICAL EMERGENCIES AND HEALTH CARE IN SPAIN

LIVING IN SPAIN - EMERGENCIES

So, I owe a very big thank you to the Spanish state health service! Recently they did nothing less than save my life – which is why there has been an absence of Posts on Culture Spain for a while…

A couple of weeks ago, I had a heart attack! This, to put it mildly, was something of a shock. It was also extraordinarily painful, involved all the ignominy of being carted off to hospital in an ambulance (with sirens screaming!), an unseemly rush into A&E, three days in intensive care and two in a normal ward.

In short, I managed to ‘stress test’ the Spanish medical emergency system – from the moment of call-out to when I was finally unhooked from an array of monitors, drips and tubes, normally only ever seen in over-dramatic versions of hospital soap operas…

I have to say that I was extremely impressed by the medical care that was extended to me – and I cannot praise too highly the staff of Gandia hospital (Valencia province).

Certainly, the ambulance crew were fantastic (the man second from the right, in the picture above, picked me up!). They arrived quickly, (having been called by a concerned shop owner) and provided supremely fine emergency attention in stabilising me and getting me to hospital safely. Marvellous!

A&E (Urgéncias), at Gandia hospital, responded immediately upon my arrival and, without delay, I was moved up to intensive care (UCE). Here a practised team swung into operation all around me. Within minutes, I was fully hooked up, drugged up and ‘settled down’ with monitors and staff recording my every pulse and breath…  Great stuff – effectively and calmly executed by dedicated professionals.

The following days in Gandia hospital were notable for the good humour of the staff whether auxiliary, nursing or doctors. The care was excellent, the food good and the standards of hygiene and cleanliness impressive. Meanwhile (thanks Miguel!), I am now receiving after-care from a cardiologist who has already had one look at my heart and is now (I gather) about to run me through a series of further tests.

Obviously, there are few things more boring than hearing about someone else’s medical problems. However, that is not what this Post is about. It is about providing a look at the reality of Spanish health care and, most particularly, the emergency medical care available to anyone currently living in Spain or thinking of moving to Spain.

The thing is that I am (at least at the moment!) living proof of the efficiency of the Spanish health care system and the effectiveness of its medical emergency system. It works well and it is something that my family have never resented paying for through our self-employed (Autonomo) payments.

Indeed, my recent experience should be a wake-up call to anyone who is not properly registered or who comes to Spain without a correctly issued EU health card.  I climb, I am reasonably fit and yet (very unexpectedly) I needed full-on, red alert emergency care!

The Spanish health care system deserves considerable respect and should, on no account, be considered an inferior service to that of the NHS in the UK. Indeed, there are a number of friends of mine who have been living in Spain for years, who would maintain that it is better. Whatever the case – if you are thinking of coming to Spain or living in Spain then be reassured that Spanish state medical care for your family is first class. Indeed, it is one of the reasons for choosing to live in Spain over many other countries…

Finally, to all the staff of Gandia hospital – thank you!!