Features of medicine in Spain
Medical care system in Spain is rightfully considered one of the best in the world and has been in the top ten of the World Health Organization's ranking for many years. Medicine has a decentralized system: clinics have the latest equipment and contain a staff of highly qualified specialists, while medical institutions can be found in any province, not only in large cities. But the main part, in which foreigners are treated, including, is located in the capital Madrid, as well as in Barcelona and on the Mediterranean coast. A high level of medicine has been achieved during the implementation of the universal access to treatment program - the vast majority of the Spanish population has the right to free medical care. Medicine in Spain is funded by employers' contributions to the National Insurance Institute. Now any working resident of Spain, as well as his family members, have access to free regular and emergency medical care. The exceptions are dental services, as well as complex surgical interventions related mainly to aesthetic medicine — they are paid in Spain. Working foreigners, children under the age of 18 and pregnant women also have the right to free and regular medical care. In a number of Spanish provinces, officially working holders of a Spanish residence permit can also apply for free regular medical care (illegal residents are entitled only to emergency medical care). To receive medical services for free, you must have a social insurance card (tarjeta SIP) and pay monthly insurance premiums through your employer or independently if the foreigner is a private entrepreneur. But in the field of free medicine, you can face one big problem: because of the long queues for admission of a narrow specialist, you can wait weeks or even months. Therefore, most foreigners, as well as some locals (15%), take out private insurance in order to save their time and not spend significant funds when applying to private clinics for medical care, since without insurance, subsequent treatment will cost several hundred or even thousands of euros. The cost of insurance depends on the amount of insurance coverage, as well as the age and health status of the patient. Many options include a wide range of medical services, including hospitalization, observation by specialists and even surgery. They can be either completely free (covered by a medical policy) or with a significant discount. If you buy insurance for the whole family, you can get a discount on registration. Foreigners who legally work for a company in Spain, or who have a residence permit in the country, can get an individual social insurance number, which entitles them to use free medical care in any region of the country. To do this, within a few weeks after arriving in Spain, you need to register at a local polyclinic and get a card (tarjeta sanitari). After that, you can use medical services on an equal basis with the citizens of the country, while you need to make a monthly payment to the social insurance fund. In addition, foreigners can use the services of private clinics – here patients are served on a paid basis or under private medical insurance. A doctor's consultation costs on average from 50-80 euros, not including tests and additional services. In private clinics, the choice of medical services is wider and there are fewer queues than in public ones. If you stay in the country for a long time, it is recommended to purchase private health insurance, the annual cost of which starts from 500 euros per year. Having such insurance is more profitable than paying for each doctor's appointment separately. Insurance companies provide their clients with a list of clinics in all regions of Spain, where you can use medical care under insurance. Having private medical insurance, you can use the services of an ophthalmologist, this is not included in the state medical care. Dental services, except for examination and cleaning, are paid and are not included in any insurance. A discount is possible for other dental services if there is an additional policy of the Dentisanitas type. In Andalusia, for example, there are many private dental clinics where it will be easy to find a doctor by advertisement or recommendation. Emergency medical care in Spain is free for everyone and is provided around the clock for both citizens and tourists or temporarily residing in the country. The provision of emergency medical care does not depend on the availability of medical insurance. If you need to call an ambulance in Spain, you need to dial 112, which operates throughout the country, or contact the nearest emergency department (Urgencias). But it is important to understand that the principle of emergency care in Spain differs from the Russian one: firstly, an ambulance will go to the address only if we are talking about life-threatening conditions. In all other cases, the patient will be offered to contact the emergency department at one of the local hospitals on their own. Secondly, there is no doctor in the visiting team — as a rule, such cars are "staffed" only by a driver and a paramedic, whose main task is not to provide treatment on the spot, but to take the patient to the emergency department in the hospital. Many who have recently moved to Spain have not yet mastered the Spanish language perfectly. This may complicate the trip to the doctor. But most clinics in the country have interpreters, whose services are provided in the most popular tourist areas of the country, where doctors and nurses, as a rule, also speak English. It was in Spain in the 9th century that the first prototypes of modern pharmacies appeared throughout Europe – small stalls with medicines, usually located at monasteries. The main difference between them and modern pharmacies was that if a person's need for treatment was obvious, then the drugs were distributed completely free of charge. In the 16th century, the first school for pharmacists opened its doors in Barcelona, and later the first "textbook" was released, which contained the rules for the production of medicines. Therefore, Spain can be safely called the birthplace of pharmacies, and it was the Spanish experience that served as the basis for the development of pharmaceutical business in other countries. Among European countries, Spain ranks fifth in terms of the turnover of the domestic pharmaceutical market, and, for example, in Barcelona, it is stipulated at the legislative level that pharmacies should be located at a short distance from each other (about 250 meters). There are no pharmacy chains in Spain, as in other European countries. This is due to the fact that, according to the law, only one certified pharmacist can open one pharmacy, who has necessarily passed all stages of training (5.5 years of study and 2 years of practice), while he must participate daily in the management of the pharmacy and independently perform the role of consultant and seller. Therefore, the local pharmacist's consultation will always be at a very high level. Recipes in Spain are of three types: Pharmacies in Spain are called Farmacia and are usually marked with a green or red cross. They are open from 9.30 to 14.00 and from 17.00 to 20.00, there are also round-the-clock pharmacies. If the pharmacy is closed, then the address of the nearest pharmacy on duty should be written on the doors, which are indicated by the inscription Farmacia de Guardia. Most of the medical resorts are balneological, due to the fact that at least 2,000 natural mineral water sources are registered in the country. On the basis of many healing geysers, an extensive network of medical and spa centers has been created. Not far from Barcelona is the resort of La Garriga (Valles Oriental), where the springs, like almost everything in this country, were discovered by the Roman conquerors. The waters here are very hot – 56 degrees, thanks to which orthopedic problems are effectively cured, relaxing and cosmetic procedures are carried out. Also, residents of Barcelona go to Caldes de Montbuy, which is considered the oldest thermal resort in the country. His thermal baths are famous for their rejuvenating effect and their temperature, which reaches 74 degrees. Rheumatism is successfully treated here and immunity is restored. Balneocurort is popular in MurciaArchena and its water temperature of 52 degrees, which successfully treats neuroses, skin diseases, rheumatism, the effects of injuries and respiratory problems. In a region popular for recreation and buying real estate Valencia has about 120 mineral and thermal springs. The water temperature is seasonal and varies from 13 to 29 degrees, it is successfully used in the treatment of respiratory diseases, digestive problems, as well as in cosmetology programs. The most popular medical resorts are located in the vicinity of the cities of Cofrentes, Recuena, Montanejos. There are spa centers both in the capital of Valencia itself and in the major resorts of the coast - Rojales, Torrevieja, Denia, Alicante, Altea. Thank you for your help in preparing the material: Pavel Maslov, managing director of the company Estate Barcelona
The right to free medicine
Health insurance programs
Emergency medical care
Pharmacies and medicines in Spain
Balneological resorts of Spain
Evgeny Antipov, Managing Director of the company Albamar Group
