Healthcare Costa del Sol
One of the things that can put people off moving to Spain, especially at a certain stage of life, is the fear for things like healthcare. There have been some horror stories reported about Spanish healthcare but as residents for many years, we can confirm that the Spanish public healthcare system is of an extremely high standard.
There have even been some new hospitals opening up and down the coast, one of the latest in the popular area of Estepona.
That said, some people prefer to add another layer of protection by signing up for one of the private healthcare schemes or services such as SANITAS. Even without the private health, most private clinics will accept credit card payments as and when treatment or diagnosis is needed.
Some of the main private hospitals in the Marbella and Estepona areas include the following:
Marbella High Care. This offers a number of different treatments from general health to some cosmetic procedures. Lots of the main private doctors will also often work out of Marbella HC
Clinica del Rio. This is located in the centre of San Pedro and is a SANITAS clinic where you can book appointments to see a GP or one of their specialists for other services. Some doctors will send SANITAS patients there for blood tests or other types of test as well.
Clinica Ochoa. This is in the centre of Marbella and is essentially a private hospital performing many types of operations as well as being a hospital for emergency cases from heart issues to accidents.
Hospiten. This is another private hospital which was only opened in the last decade. It performs many different types of procedures as well as offering gynaecologist appointments and even births. It also has an emergency area to receive patients in distress or that might have had accidents.
Outside of these there are lots of specialist doctors and clinics to help with any type of health issue. For example, one of the best cardiology clinics in Marbella is CardioCare. They have their own clinic for consultations and also operate out of Marbella HC.
If you look overall, access to different types of healthcare and specialist clinics is probably easier than in the UK. Private health in the UK is not as common as it is deemed expensive. Here in Spain, it seems quite affordable and is very professional and efficient. So if one of the reasons for not moving or buying a home in Spain was healthcare, don’t be put off by stories you read, because it really is actually pretty good!
