DominicMarc

Hello, I am needing to see a doctor in the Valencia area, I live in the city center and my Spanish is little to none at the moment. Does anyone have any ideas?

It is not an emergency but is becoming slightly worrying.

Thanks for any help you can offer.

Dick Dasterdly

Ask around for the nearest clinica de salud

However the doctors may well insist on you going along with an interpreter.

mikelincs

I would take an interpreter in any case, they are invaluable, and yes, most hospitals and clinics say they expect non Spanish speakers to bring an interpreter as they are not responsible if you do not understand.

mjfuster

I could help you if you want, as I am Spanish and I live in a village near Valencia. I don't know if I should write my email here (maybe you could write a private message and then we swap emails).

If you tell me the kind of doctor you need (family doctor...) and if it is private or not, i could try to find some English speaking doctor. I am on holidays now, so I would have no problem going with you if I can't find any doctor who speaks fluent English.

Maria josé

Rosemary

As Concierge for the Spanish section of BE I would like to say hello and welcome.

BE is a very large expat website, so if you have problems finding your way around we have concierges who will try to direct you. The moderators for the Spanish forums are Mitzyboy and Fred James, moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderador who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge of the issues of living in Spain. At the top of the page you will find a quirkily named thread called Free Beer which is full of important and useful information. Hope you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Unfortunately you will not be able to PM each other until you have more than three posts and it is not advisable to but e-mail addresses on an open forum because it leaves you open to receiving spam.

Have you completed much interpreter work? Does your work involve using your English skills?

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

mjfuster

Sorry if I misunderstood you, but I am not sure if you are doubting my good intentions. I didn't want to get any advantage of anything. I just saw a person asking for help in something which I found really easy for me, but I am answering the questions anyhow.

I teach English at a secondary school, and as I have a Scottish friend here near Valencia, I have sometimes helped her with her Spanish, going to the doctor with her,... I have also phoned hospitals or clinics to get to know if there where English-speaking doctors. I also did the same for an American couple several years ago, as he fell ill and had to spend some days in a hospital. My husband and me helped her find a hotel, understand what the doctrs said...

So, as I have done that many times for my friend, I didn't find any problem in phoning a hospital to ask for an English-speaking person or to go with someone who is not used to living in Spain.

No, I am not an interpreter. I have just done so several times with no fees, and having nothing to gain.

Yes, in my job I use the English language, as I am an English teacher.

Sorry for not having read the rules, and having said the person to swap emails. Maybe there could be problems if people started exchanging personal information so easily.

Rosemary

No, I am not doubting your good intentions. The rules about PM´s is to protect members from unsolicited mailings. I pointed out the rule so that you did not send each other PM´s and then wonder why the other person had not responded.

I asked the questions so that you could tell us more about yourself, we generally like to get to know people on here and the only way is to ask cheeky questions. I for one appreciate all the help that I receive from Spanish people and I am sure that the people that you have helped in the past are grateful to have such a good friend as you obviously are.

Please be patient with the system and once you have sufficient posts please PM the person and offer your assistance. I personally think that the whole doctor patient situation is very difficult and the language barrier becomes huge due to the fact that the patient is worried.

Please enjoy the forum, we welcome your input.

Rosemary