Guide to the Spanish National Health Service

One of the major considerations of people who are considering moving permanently to Spain are the standards of the health care and health system.

Residents of the United Kingdom will be very familiar with the public National Health Service known as the NHS. The big question is how does the Spanish National Health Service compare?

From the anecdotal evidence we have gathered from living in Spain the two systems appear to be very much of the same standard. In Spain as much as in England there are varied stories of excellent standards of treatment and also some shocking stories. On the whole however the treatment and attention is generally accepted as very good. Our related article also gives some personal insights into the healthcare in Spain.

One very important point is that you shouldn't assume just because you are moving to Spain from the United Kingdom, that you will automatically be entitled to use the National Health Service in Spain. In the United Kingdom we take for granted access to the NHS. In Spain the rules are somewhat different and access to the public health system in Spain very much depends on contributions to the social security system.

This happens automatically if you are self-employed in Spain. You will automatically be paying social security contributions on a monthly basis. For a family of four people, the main worker will be paying approximately €240 a month towards this, but this does entitle the whole family to free medical care.

If you are employed legally in Spain you will have to make social security contributions as will your employer.

You can also opt to pay voluntary contributions if you are coming from another EU country where you have been paying in to their public system.

You are also eligible to use the Spanish National Health Service if you are on a UK state pension, long-term incapacity benefit, bereavement benefit or maternity benefit.

You will need to go to your nearest local Social Security office and tailor what is known as your SIPP card which you will need to show when going to the doctors surgeries and hospitals. Note that dental care is not included. To get the social security card you must be a resident of Spain so you will need to provide documentation as evidence of this as well as a copy of your passport.

Then you will want to go to your local doctor and clinic where you can register.

So although the standards of medical care to seem acceptable and to some people even more so, they claim they are excellent, this doesn't necessarily mean that you shouldn't take out private health insurance Spain.

The reasons for this are identical to the merits of taking out private health insurance in the United Kingdom or elsewhere.

Spain there is generally a wait for certain types of treatment in particular certain operations.

Naturally with private health insurance you get to have your operation quicker.

Perhaps the most important reason to consider opting out of Spain's national health service is the language barrier. Typically more people in the private healthcare sector will speak English.

Another issue with the National Health Service in Spain is that there has traditionally been an onus on relatives of the person concerned to come in and assist with looking after them. Of course for many expatriates who have moved to Spain they do not have that support system.

When you are in hospital the wards are typically packed with relatives of the other Spanish patients. These relatives are often dabbing their brow or getting them a drink. If you are on your own you will be reliant on the nurses who may often be too busy to cater to you.

National Heath Service Spain Page Summary: Detailed information about the public healthcare system in Spain also known as the national health system in Spain and whether you are entitled to free treatment or not.