According to the latest WHO ratings, the Spanish health care system is in the leading positions in the world. This means that the country has created affordable medical care for the population, which includes the effective work of doctors in public and private clinics, the use of the latest diagnostic equipment, high-quality rehabilitation after injuries, operations, diseases, disease prevention and much more. And since medicine in Spain is one of the best in the world, here you can get comprehensive treatment and highly qualified assistance in solving any problems at the highest level.
How the health care system works in Spain
85% of medical institutions in Spain belong to the state, and only 15% are private clinics. As a result, almost 94% of the population is provided with free medical care, and the Spaniards, if necessary, can get this help anywhere in the country.
Each region (district) has at least one large hospital with qualified personnel and modern equipment, which provides a full range of medical services. The primary admission is carried out in village, city polyclinics, specialized centers, hospitals.
Today, the medical industry in Spain employs more than 600 thousand doctors of various profiles - from nurses to specialist doctors.
Foreigners have the right to be treated only in private clinics, but free emergency assistance is provided to everyone who needs it.
To whom and when to receive emergency medical care
No one is immune from health problems, but those who need urgent help in a foreign country feel especially hard. In public hospitals, special departments - Urgencia - operate around the clock, where they will diagnose and provide the necessary complex of medical measures.
The legislation provides that in the presence of a medical policy, emergency care (except for dental services and especially complex operations) is provided free of charge to tourists and those who are temporarily in the country.
Emergency care is provided to children under 18 years of age, as well as to pregnant women and women in childbirth, regardless of the presence of a policy, their status and the legality of stay in Spain.
In addition, primary care will be provided in the branches of the Spanish Red Cross (Сruz Roja Española). If the problem is minor, you can contact pharmacists at pharmacies, where most drugs are available without a prescription.
Health insurance system
Despite the possibility of free treatment, many Spaniards go to private insurance companies. The fact is that the insurance policy allows you to go directly to doctors of narrow specialties without a referral from a local therapist.
With insurance, it becomes possible to choose any clinic, to perform operations, expensive examinations, diagnostics. The most famous insurance companies are Adeslas, AXA Seguros, Mapfre, Sanitas, Asisa, Prevision Medica.
Depending on how much a person pays for insurance, a certain range of services is provided, discounts for children, other family members, students, athletes.
The amount of insurance premiums depends on various factors: the presence of chronic diseases, age. At the same time, paid assistance is not provided immediately after the conclusion of the contract, but after a certain time: for example, the operation will be done only 9 months after receiving the policy.
The most famous and popular hospitals in Spain
The Spaniards are proud of their clinics, where treatment at the highest level is available:
- Hospital Clínic de Barcelona is one of the best medical facilities in the country in terms of equipment and quality of services. The Unified Center for Medical and Surgical Specializations, operating in Barcelona, carries out world-class surgeries, and programs for the rehabilitation of patients after the most difficult situations are developed here.
- Dexeus Salud De La Muje is a private center specializing in women's health problems: diagnosis and treatment of gynecological diseases, oncology, obstetrics, reproductive medicine. During the year, up to 2000 IVF cycles are performed here, and the onset of the desired pregnancy occurs in 65% of cases.
- Medico Centro Teknon. The largest European center where royal families and show business stars are treated. It occupies a leading position in the world in the field of cardiology, traumatology, onco / neurosurgery, plastic surgery.
- PLANAS. The clinic helps patients get rid of age-related and expression wrinkles, remove tattoos, smooth out age-related changes on the skin. In an atmosphere of strict confidentiality, the services of specialists come to use politicians, singers, actors, businessmen.
Many of these famous clinics have become available to Russians as well.
Spa treatment and its features
The health care system is not only medical institutions, but also a wide network of sanatoriums, health centers, where you can get medical treatment and receive a number of preventive procedures.
Nature in Spain opens up endless opportunities for health-improving recreation: there is the sea, mountains, thermal springs, healing mud. Therefore, the main directions of sanatorium institutions are balneo- and thalassotherapy.
The main centers where the sanatoriums are located are Valencia, Catalonia, Murcia, Andalusia. In Andalusia, urological diseases are treated, in Murcia - diseases of the musculoskeletal system and skin, in Valencia they help to cope with obesity, depression, cleanse the body, and Catalonia specializes in diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, circulatory system, respiration, and nervous system.
In almost all sanatoriums, discounts for children are 50%, and babies under 5 years old live and receive treatment free of charge.
Recently, the SHA wellness center near Valencia has become popular. Located in the mountains by the Mediterranean Sea, it offers high quality services to the holidaymaker. And the climate of this area is recognized by WHO as the best in the world for maintaining health.
Treatment of children in Spain
Healthcare in Spain begins with childcare. Each polyclinic and hospital has a children's department or unit equipped with the latest technology. The best pediatricians work with babies.
Many hospitals in the state have clowns and animators who entertain the children undergoing treatment.
Hospital Sant Joan de Deu is considered one of the most famous children's centers in Spain, famous for its specialists and pediatric surgeons throughout Europe. More than 4 thousand children are born here every year, and hundreds of babies from all over the world receive help and hope for a healthy life in the future. The clinic successfully treats scoliosis, epilepsy, allergies, heart ailments and other diseases.
Whichever hospital you choose, you can count on the highest level of diagnostics and treatment for young patients.
Features of the work of pharmacies in Spain
Most of the pharmacies in Spain are private. The cost of medicines depends on whether you buy them on your own or with a prescription. It is worth noting that if there is a recipe, the price is reduced by 30-40%.
Pensioners receive huge discounts. People over 65 pay 10% of the cost of medicines or receive medicines for free.
It is easy to find a pharmacy on the street: a green cross is burning with poison with a signboard. If the sign is on, the pharmacy is working, if it is off, it is closed.
Like shops, pharmacies work from 9 am until about 8-9 pm, but on certain days each pharmacy is on duty (de guardia) and is open around the clock. At the entrance to any pharmacy, the schedule of duty pharmaceutical institutions by days of the week and their addresses are displayed.
Conclusion
Thanks to the tremendous attention that Spain pays to the healthcare system, over the past 30 years, this country has made an incredible leap forward, taking the leading positions in Europe and the world in terms of life expectancy, general health of the population and the quality of care.
Russians are just beginning to get acquainted with the capabilities of Spanish medical institutions, but their advantages are already visible today: excellent equipment of medical centers, highly qualified personnel, and the effectiveness of treatment in clinics. Today Europe is being treated in Spain, and residents of Russia are also increasingly seeking medical help here.
