HEALTHCARE IN SPAIN - GANDIA HOSPITAL
Sadly, once again, I have had to put state health care in Spain to the test – which is why Culture Spain has been down on Posts over the past few days. On Tuesday, my beloved son collapsed and I had to rush him into our local hospital (Gandia), where he remains now (almost a week later).
Needless to say, having your child in hospital is dreadfully stressful and never more so than when it occurs in a foreign country. All of a sudden you are terribly vulnerable and, almost by definition, operating within an unfamiliar system and in a language that you may not understand.
So, whether you are thinking of taking a holiday in Spain or considering living in Spain permanently – knowing that you will be in safe hands if (Heaven forbid) you need skilled health care is vital.
The question, therefore, is: what is state healthcare in Spain really like?
Well, interestingly the UK Guardian recently had an article about health care in Spain which is worth a glance. Importantly, it states that Spain ‘ranked seventh in the World Health Organisation’s top 10 (health care providers) in 2000 (the UK was 18th)’. It also states that ‘like the NHS, it is free at the point of delivery. It has an excellent network of family doctors and a health centre within 15 minutes of every home.’
Certainly, I have been impressed by the health care in Spain that my family have received. Last year I suffered the indignity of a major heart attack and saw for myself the way the healthcare system works in my area (Valencia) – from being scooped up by an ambulance, all the way through to several days in intensive care and then a ward. Since then I have had a predictable and tiresome twelve months of seemingly endless tests and treatment, which is on-going.
I think it is probably fair to say that I owe my life to the efficiency of the Spanish health care that I have received (we do not have private healthcare). So, I think it is fair for me to say that the ‘system’ works and, on the whole, works well.
As I write, of course, I am praying that my own experience has been indicative of consistently high standards throughout Spain and that, most importantly, my son will be cured quickly and efficiently.
However, in any event, you can be reassured that Spain is far from ‘Third World’ with regard to its medical care and that if you are coming on holiday in Spain that you will receive the type of care (perhaps even better) than you would in the UK.
Whilst on the subject, I think that I should also dispell a couple of incorrect assumptions that people have about Spanish health care. The first one is that nursing is different from (say) the UK and that washing and feeding of a patient etc. needs to be done by a member of the family. This is rubbish. The nursing staff provide the same care that you would expect in any sophisticated, well run hospital in the States or elsewhere and, of course, patients are fed hospital delivered and cooked food.
The second (related) misconception relates to a member of the family having to be with a patient all the time. This is not true, although it is common for a member of the family to stay (and often sleep) in the same room as a patient. However, that is not obligatory nor is it frowned upon if it does not occur.
In fact, intensive care apart (which is restricted to patients and has defined visiting hours) my experience is that hospitals are very flexible with regard to visitors and allow them to come and go as they want, day and night. This is great and allows family members to fit visits in between their normal busy lives.
Do you need private health care in Spain?
I suspect that you do not. If you can afford private health care then I suppose that it may probably be worth having – but it is certainly not necessary.
Finally, for more detailed information on Spanish health care do have a look at my book about buying Spanish property and moving to Spain, which has a section dedicated to the subject. ..
RELEVANT INFORMATION:
MEDICAL EMERGENCIES AND HEALTH CARE IN SPAIN
GUARDIAN ARTICLE ON HEALTH CARE IN SPAIN
HOW TO BUY SPANISH PROPERTY AND MOVE TO SPAIN – SAFELY
(80,000 words, 327 pages, 26 sections and 9 expert contributors – e-book 14.96 euros)
Hi Nick,
So sorry to hear about your medical troubles and hope your son is making a full recovery, likewise you.
Its fantastic to hear good stories about the Spanish NHS and there are many. Unfortunately my own experience (as well as that of a couple of friends) is not so positive. Fr the last 5 years I have had to go regularly to my GP and Hospital for what was, initially, something my GP could not diagnose. Now it finally turned out this was a prostate problem which is a relatively common – not cancer fortunately but prostatitis combined with chronic pelvic pain syndrome. To cut a very long story short the GPs I saw and two of the 3 urologists were pretty much useless – GPs useless and Urologists arrogant and condescending. I speak fluent Spanish so that was not the problem. My conclusion is that Spanish Drs, lawyers etc. are subject to the same teaching methods as most pupils in Spain – learn by rote, don’t think outside the box and, in the case of professionals, you are the king and your client is stupid. Of course, that is a sweeping generalisation and there are many good Drs and specialists but I suspect mainly in the big cities and those that have been “educated” differently. I’ve had to complain twice to the authorities about the attitude and diagnosis of two urologist (the third one finally got it right and concurred with a private urologist I eventually paid to go and see) and their view is “we asked the Dr,. he said he was polite and did everything correctly and that his diagnosis is correct – there is nothing we can do” So you, the patient, have absolutely no recourse unless you denounce them for negligence. Even when presented with written, irrefutable evidence that the urologist did not read my notes – two ultrasounds said I had two perfectly normal functioning kidneys when in fact I was born with one! they refused to take any action. Hopefully, there are not two many stories like this out there.
Robert – thank you for that. It is so vital to have comments (however different) from people who know Spain well. All our experiences are different, for good and bad, and I always think that it is vital not to paint an overly ‘rosy’ picture of Spain – which would simplify the truth that Spain is a complicated and varied country for which generalisations rarely apply….
[...] State healthcare in Spain [...]