Hospital home |
Cádiz | Córdoba
| Granada | Huelva
| Jaén | Málaga
| Sevilla
HOSPITALS IN Andalucia
by province
By Dee McMath
The quality of health care and hospital facilities
in Andalucia (and throughout Spain) is generally of a high standard.
Progress is always being made and in January 2005, it was announced
that there was a 35% improvement in hospital service in Andalucia.
There are excellent doctors, and highly
trained Spanish medical staff. Major hospitals are equipped with
the latest high-tech equipment and Andalucia has many excellent
public and private hospitals in each of the eight provinces: Almeria,
Cadiz, Cordoba, Granada, Huelva, Jaen, Malaga and Seville.
The large hospitals in the main cities are generally
better equipped than the provincial ones and some specialise in
particular areas of health and treatment than others.
Although in some hospitals in Andalucia (especially
the Costa del Sol Hospital) some doctors may speak some English
and there may even be help in the form of a voluntary interpreter,
you should not depend on finding and English speaker if you have
a hospital visit. If you do not speak Spanish, it is best to take
someone along with you who can translate, in case you cannot explain
your problem or do not understand the treatment.
If you live and work in Andalucia, then you must
subscribe to the Seguridad Social (Social Security) and will
have access the state health system. Once you are part of the system,
you should apply for your Tarjeta Sanitaria (Health Card)
and register with a GP (Medico de Cabeza) at your local Health
Centre (Ambulatorio). You will need your Health Card when
you making appointments either with a doctor or at a hospital. The
Andalucian Health Service is referred to as S.A.S. (Servicio
Andaluz de Salud).
Consult the list of main hospitals in Andalucia
for general information on hospitals by province. When you live
in Spain, local and national private health companies will usually
give you a list of doctors, clinics and hospitals, which you should
use in conjunction with the health plan they offer. Some health
insurance companies allow you to choose the doctor and health centre.
In these cases, you will normally pay the medical bill and then
be reimbursed a large percentage of the cost.
If you are in the Costa del Sol area, there is
a well established health insurance company called Helicopteros
Sanitarios (Tel: 952 816 767) which has a 24 hour hospital transfer
Service included in an ambulance and call out doctor service. As
the name of the company suggests, in the case of extreme emergency
and difficult access, helicopter transfer may be used. They have
quite reasonable annual quotas for families and individuals. The
area they cover is from Sotogrande to Torremolinos.
If you live in the EU and are visiting Spain /
Andalucia (or indeed any other EU country), then you should bring
the E-111 form with you. If you have the new EU health card, then
you will not need to apply for the E111, since the new card contains
your Social Security details. Due to the reciprocal agreement between
the EU countries, this covers you under the State health system
for three months. After this time, if you are still in Andalucia
and are not working and registered with the Social Security, then
you must get cover from a private health plan. In any case, you
will need to prove that you have your own health insurance to apply
for a Residence Permit, if you are planning to live in Spain if
you are applying for your N.I.E. or Residency card.
Remember that if you live in Andalucia, or anywhere
in Spain and have Spanish Residency - then before travelling on
trips back to the UK or anywhere else in the EU, you should go to
your local Social Security Office (Oficina de Seguridad Social)
and apply for the E111. You will need this card to receive free
medical treatment in a public hospital or health clinic while you
are away from Spain. Although it is possible that you may be issued
with this card on the same day you apply for it, to make sure you
have the card before you travel, go a week in advance, just in case
there are unforeseen delays or problems. Whenever visiting the Social
Security offices in main towns in Andalucia (especially the Costa
del Sol), take a good book or a newspaper - you may have a long
wait in a slow moving queue. Again, if you have the new EU Health
Card, then you will not need to apply for the E111.
When seeking non-urgent hospital treatment in Andalucia,
you are free to choose any hospital within Andalucia. It is worth
speaking to your doctor for advice on which hospital specialises
in the treatment you require and how long the waiting list is likely
to be. It is also important to be aware of a notable difference
between UK and Spanish hospitals. It is that if a patient has on-going
treatment and spends some time in hospital, a relative or friend
is expected to help with the general care and often has to stay
overnight with the patient. This is another consideration if choosing
a hospital for a long term treatment or recovery time.
New Hospitals & Future Plans
on the Costa del Sol
As well as the hospitals listed, plans are afoot
to build more Hospitals at different points along the Costa del
Sol. The brand new private hospital in Estepona (Hospital Hospitén
Estepona) has state-of-the art technology and a 24 hour emergency
department. A large public Health Centre, also with a 24 hour emergency
department is planned to open in Sabinillas (Manilva) toward the
end of 2006. A new hospital is being built in Benalmadena and projects
have been put forward for a hospital in Fuengirola and one in La
Cala (municipality of Mijas). From proposal, to planning and building
may take some time, but with the increase in population, it is good
to know that the need is being addressed to provide more hospitals
in the future.
Brief background on two main Costa del Sol Hospitals
Costa del Sol Hospital
The Costa del Sol Hospital, on the main A7 coast
road Marbella is one of the best-equipped hospitals in Spain. Inaugurated
in December 1993, the hospital is run by an independent company
on behalf of the Andalucian Health Authorities. It was set up as
a pilot scheme to improve the efficiency and quality of services,
under a modern structure or organisation. It now has 243 beds and
on average, around 100 healthy babies are born there every month.
There are often voluntary interpreters on hand to help British and
other nationalities communicate with the medical staff. With at
least 15% of patients being non-Spanish speakers, this is considered
a necessity for the smooth running of the hospital. The services
are constantly improving and special resources are laid on in summer
when the average number of emergencies increases from 140 to 355
a day. The hospital's website ( in Spanish has www.hcs.es)
includes a useful explanatory patients guide.
Carlos Haya Hospital - Málaga City
The first part of this large hospital complex was
opened in 1956. Since then, it has grown and now consists of four
hospitals and one specialist clinic. The main general hospital building
in Avenida Carlos Haya, deals with most medical and surgical procedures.
The Hospital Materno Infantil covers women's health, childbirth,
infants and children's health. The Hospital Civil San Juan de Dios
offers treatments and surgery which usually calls for a shorter
stay and the Hospital Ciudad Jardín offers palliative care for terminally
ill patients. There is now also a new
Centro de Alta Resolución de Especialidades (CARE), which
is aimed at offering a clear diagnosis, efficiently with the least
delay possible and in just one visit. This pioneering initiative
on behalf of the Andalucian Public Health Authorities is becoming
a blue print for the rest of Spain. The centre is situated in Muelle
de Heredia and has a special 24 hour emergency service.
top of page
|
