Out of the Frying Pan into the Fire!

[littleeak]

What's he moaning about, people are waiting 4 years for thoracic surgery in Andalucia!
Massage the figures of the waiting list? Surely not, that only happens in UK.

My OH was diagnosed with lung cancer in October 2012. He was referred to Virgin de las Nieves hospital in Granada & had a PET scan & appointment with the Surgeon in November. His pre op appointment was at the beginning of December & he had his operation on 27th December 2012.

[alpujarran]

Anyone who is a UK pensioner is entitled to full healthcare in both countries.

Surely not: full healthcare where you live and emergency healthcare anywhere else in the EU.

[Free at Last]

For those of you who are oblivious to what's happening in Spain (and I don't mean Frank and DA ) here is an article re. beds in hospital corridors in Carlos Haya, Málaga...frying pan and fire works both ways

http://www.diariosur.es/20130212/local/ ... 21908.html

If you scroll down and read the comments you could be reading the daily Fail. Some saying it's a third world hospital. here is one

El otro dia llamaron a mi marido de que iban a operarlo, después de un año y pico esperando, se encama a las nueve de la mañana, le dan una pastilla para relajarlo imagino y a las dos de la tarde viene la enfermera y le dicen que no lo operan...que ahora vendria el medico a informarle. A las 3 de la tarde viene el medico a decirle q se vaya a casa y que ya lo llamarian para nueva cita. Aún esta esperando. Es esto normal?? Y, sobretodo, Es legal???


Roughly, The other day my Husband was called for an operation after waiting a year and a bit. At 9am he was given a bed and a relaxant tablet. At 2pm a Nurse came and said they were not going to operate. At 3pm the Doctor came and told him to go home and they would call him with another appointment, he is still waiting.

The austerity cuts really do seem to be affecting the Spanish health service - a British neighbour of mine has now been waiting over a year for a hip replacement (she saw an anaesthetist for pre-op tests in early December, but the results are only valid until the end of this month so if she doesn't have a date for her operation before then they would have to be done all over again).

The lady's comments about her husband's experience at Carlos Haya really struck a chord with me, however, as a similar thing happened to my father in a British hospital in 2006 (at a time when billions of extra funding had been put into the NHS over a number of years by the Labour Government, not when cuts were being imposed). He was waiting for an operation to amputate his foot (which wouldn't have become necessary if not for earlier failings in his care, but that's too long a story). The day his surgery was scheduled I arrived at 2pm for visiting time and he was still waiting to go down to theatre, having been nil by mouth since that morning and without any pain relief. At 3pm the staff nurse arrived to say the operation would not be done that day and I asked for some pain relief for him. She disappeared and I went to get him a cup of tea and a sandwich (he was a diabetic and I wasn't happy about him not eating all day). I asked twice more before 4.30 pm for the pain relief (to a group of staff clustered around the nursing station) and upon being told for the third time they were busy, I lost it and banged on the desk and said I wasn't leaving until he got it. An agency nurse was despatched to fetch the drugs, and after a hunt for the keys to his drugs locker as nobody seemed to know where they were, she finally got it open to find that the painkillers were not there and said they must have been "borrowed" for another patient. It was after 5pm by the time any painkillers were administered.

I could fill a book with the awful things that happened during his 6 months in that hospital (and what I saw happening with other patients). Reading the reports out last week about Stafford Hospital was very distressing as it brought a lot back to me.

It isn't always a question of money or lack of it, many of the problems come down to the attitude of the staff. A lot of good work goes on in the NHS, my family always found primary care to be good, the care my father had from his diabetic specialist and podiatrist as an outpatient was excellent, the surgeons are for the most part very good, intensive care and high dependency units give excellent care. It is the care on the ordinary wards where things start to go wrong in my experience, and when that happens it can undo all the good work that has gone before, and ultimately prove fatal.

[chrissiehope]

Irene - that was remarkably restrained

(now realised tghat was quite a few posts ago.... )

[El Cid]

My OH was diagnosed with lung cancer in October 2012. He was referred to Virgin de las Nieves hospital in Granada & had a PET scan & appointment with the Surgeon in November. His pre op appointment was at the beginning of December & he had his operation on 27th December 2012.

It does seem to depend on where you live.

One friend in Malaga province waited over 12 months for a hip replacement but another in Granada province waited 3 months.

Sid

[gus-lopez]

Anyone who is a UK pensioner is entitled to full healthcare in both countries.

Surely not: full healthcare where you live and emergency healthcare anywhere else in the EU.

Yes & no.
"Once you have registered your S1 (or E121) in your new country of residence, you will be entitled to a UK-issued European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), allowing you to access state-funded necessary medical treatment when you visit other EEA countries besides the one in which you are resident, including when you return to the UK."
from here;
http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcare ... broad.aspx

& this would appear to cover anything that you might require when in the UK.

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov. ... /DH_128863

Could someone explain what the difference might be ? If i've got a bad shoulder I'll go to the doctor here. If it happened in the Uk I'd do the same.

[Julie]

Acceso a servicios médicos, la sanidad inglesa es universal!


Anyone can access health care in uk,I went with a girl from Venezuela today to the doctors she saw a doctor straight away, they asked her if she wanted to register there, she was amazed as she was expecting a bill she wouldn't be able to pay ! But it is no surprise we have services shutting down, its not as though she was even expecting it to be free, she would of been willing to pay, she doesn't work in UK, she is here for 4 months , because she wants to learn English, they also (her and her boyfriend) didn't go to usa because they would of need to get a visa, and here they didn't The only people we can blame are the goverment, but it can wind people up, especially if it is effected them and theirs directly.

[markwilding]

Haven't I read on here somewhere that with the correct paperwork healthcare is also free in Spain in the first few months.
Regarding the Venezuelan, being from there would also need a VIsa to enter the UK.

[BENIDORM]

I know of plenty of people who go back for treatment to UK, mainly because they have existing conditions and feel 'comfortable' about going back for treatment with people and systems they understand, and many of these people are fully entitled to receive treatment in Spain.
I can certainly understand that and to be honest I don't blame them, although I do try to persuade them to switch over to the Spanish Health system.
It is very frustrating to be told that you can't 'officially' receive treatment in a country where you've paid into the system for a lifetime, in my case I paid into the system for almost 50 years and that includes when I was working in Spain, I continued to pay National Insurance and tax..in both countries.

Anyway may I wish Good Health and Happiness to everyone wherever and however you achieve it .
Regards,
Gordon

[katy]

Gordon, I agree with most of what you are saying, infact if some of those quick to jump on the bandwagon actually read what I said they will see I said the same. Don't you find it a bit incongruous that there have been so many posts on here criticising the NHS and how wonderful the Spanish system that they would want to

Just 1 point...If pensioners eventually get into the Spanish system, the UK pays 6000 pa. to Spain for care. If they then go to the UK for treatment it seem a little unfair.

[El Cid]

Just 1 point...If pensioners eventually get into the Spanish system, the UK pays 6000 pa. to Spain for care. If they then go to the UK for treatment it seem a little unfair.

Actually the figure is £3288 each so I assume you were referring to a couple.

Sid

[BENIDORM]

Katy,
I see where you are coming from however I don't agree that it is unfair, I just think that the system is totally stupid, and am I correct thinking that there is some sort of reciprocal agreement in place ?
There has been so many changes in policy over the years that I'm rather confused about the whole issue, or maybe it's my age .
I also have to say that in our case it's a bit different because both countries have taken a lot of money from us and I believe that we have entitlement to use the Spanish Health system anyway, regardless of receiving payment from UK.
I also have to say that my family has received excellent treatment from both countries regarding health care, ok a few 'niggles' on both sides, but I can understand the pressures placed on medical staff, and I think that the majority do an excellent job.

Sid, Thanks for clearing up the payment amount, I also thought that it was 6,000-ish for each person, sounds a good amount , but when you look at the cost of many operations etc it isn't so much ?

Regards,
Gordon

[IreneD]

Talking of money, can anyone tell me whether it's true that to become Spanish residents you need to prove to the authorities that you have a certain amount of money in your bank account? I think we do just about qualify as regards being able to support ourselves in Spain, thanks to our state pension but I'm a little concerned about t'other rumour I've heard.

[Lavanda]

We didn't need to prove anything about money, income or other but we did have to state WHY we were seeking residency and took along our escrituras to show we had houses here and were intending to live in them. Hope that helps.

[Mowser]

IreneD
Most people here just ignore the rule.

[IreneD]

Lavanda, I think things have changed though, haven't they? Or maybe not......our gestor is aware of our plans, we will go and see her again to clarify. Mowser, disobeying rules scares me lol

[El Cid]

If you produce an S1 form that will be sufficient for both income and healthcare and as you have a State pension you would be able to get the form from DWP.

If not you would need private medical insurance and some proof of a regular income or a chunk of money in the bank.

Sid

[IreneD]

OK thanks Sid - I'm sure I read somewhere the need to have a certain amount of money in the bank but maybe that applies to people other than pensioners. Edit: not concentrating, that's pretty much what you said lol

[Julie]

I have removed this post, because I am becoming as petty as him

[Lavanda]