The Spanish health system, the Sistema Nacional de Salud (SNS), is public, universal and tax-funded, and its results are considered among the best in the world: life expectancy in Spain is among the highest on the planet. Under the 1978 Constitution and the statutes of autonomy, healthcare is run by the autonomous communities, each with its own service (for example SERMAS in Madrid, CatSalut in Catalonia, SAS in Andalusia, Osakidetza in the Basque Country), while the central state keeps overall coordination and pharmaceutical policy.
How it works
For residents the entry point is the centro de salud, the neighbourhood health centre, home to the family doctor (médico de cabecera) and paediatrician. The GP refers patients to specialists and public hospitals. Services are free; prescribed medicines are partly paid by the patient, with a charge proportional to income. Waiting lists for some specialist visits and operations can be long, and about a quarter of Spaniards also have relatively cheap private health insurance giving access to private clinics.
For tourists and students
Visitors from an EU country travelling to Spain as tourists or students are entitled to necessary treatment in the public service on the same terms as Spaniards by showing the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). It does not cover private clinics or medical repatriation, so travel insurance is recommended. For Erasmus students the EHIC is generally enough; for longer stays, check with your home health service about the S1 form or other cover. Visitors from outside the EU should have travel health insurance.
Those who move to Spain and work on a Spanish contract are registered with social security and receive the tarjeta sanitaria of their community; rules vary for pensioners and other cases (see moving to Spain).
Pharmacies
Pharmacies are marked by a lit green cross. Outside normal hours there is always a farmacia de guardia, on duty, shown in the windows of other pharmacies and on pharmacists' association websites. If you take medicines regularly, it helps to know the active ingredient, as brand names may differ from those at home.
Emergencies and tips
- The single number for all emergencies, including medical ones, is 112, free and with English-speaking operators; some communities also use 061 for medical emergencies.
- Hospital emergency departments are called Urgencias.
- Spain has no particular health risks and no vaccinations are required. In summer, especially in the south and inland, beware of extreme heat and sun.
- If needed, ask for help at tourist offices, the police or your nearest consulate.
See also getting ready to go and Erasmus in Spain.