RachelMack

Hi all,

My name is Rachel and I'm hoping to move to Madrid in summer.

I'm a type 1 diabetic though. Could anyone advise about how to go about getting a GP or my medication in Spain? Is it very expensive or is there a lot of paperwork? If so maybe I am best to just use my European Health card for emergencies and fly home for my prescriptions... I have private health insurance in my native Ireland.
If anyone could recommend an English speaking GP in Madrid I'd also be very grateful!

Thank you 😊

mikelincs

Welcome to BE.

Will you be working or are you at retirement age, these are important points to know so that people can advise you of the best way forward. If you are going to be living in Spain then your EHIC card is not a possibility as that is for people visiting, also if you are living in Spain then you will no longer have access to the NHS, unless you are a pensioner, which is why we really need a little more information.

RachelMack

I would hope to be working 😊 I'm 26 and hoping to move there for at least a year so work in some capacity in the aim.
Thank you!

mikelincs

OK, then if you have a job with a legal contract then you will receive healthcare in the same way that Spanish people do, if you work self employed, autonomo, then you will pay a charge to the Spanish authorities each month that gives you access to the Spanish health system. However you WILL lose the right to NHS care as that is residency based and you will NOT be a UK resident, the EHIC card will not be of use in Spain as it is really only for holidaymakers.

RachelMack

Thank you so much for your help 😊

Rosemary

Hi and a warm welcome to the Spanish forum on BE. Myself and Fred James are the moderators for the Spanish forums whilst BEVS moderates Europe. Moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. This is so that members gain the information that they are looking for and find their experiences on the forums to be friendly and worthwhile.

Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderator who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are usually friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge about the issues of living in Spain. I hope that you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

lutonlad

Slight diversion..
We still see distorted information via UK news media about the 'benefits' that Brits enjoy in EU countries. Only last week ITV (Meridian News) ran a report saying how Brits will lose out on healthcare post Brexit if reciprocal agreements are stopped. It cited a young family living in France as an example. Now, I don't know about France but I guess it's not that different from Spain (I'll stand corrected if wrong).

The said programme gave the strong impression that all Brits qualify for 'free' healthcare when residing abroad, when in Spain at least, that only applies to pensioners (with the UK Govt paying a sum per head). It failed to mention the strict residency criteria imposed on others who are forced to take private health insurance or contribute to the Spanish system through their employment. Hardly the same as EU citizens access to the NHS in reality - and hardly the level playing field notion that is portrayed.

bobd22

I suppose they may be referring to loss of EHIC ? Which is another unknown. Could be that the family were wrongly relying on that?

lutonlad

No. The family were running a B&B business so presumably qualified for state healthcare.
However the programme (along with others) gave the clear impression that Brits get these benefits, period. No mention about strict residency rules for early retirees for instance. Access to state healthcare in other EU countries is far more stringent than access to the NHS - even for their own population, which of course is how it is allowed under EU rules.

bobd22

Ok it was just a thought given many people do seem to rely on ehic rather than apply for residency. Sounds like simply media miss construing the truth to make a program. Why Cameron and others never actually explained the residency rules used in most EU countries versus the rules applied by the UK.Of course had they done that it would have showed the problem had nothing to do with the EU and was simply the way UK parliament chooses to provide health care etc.

lutonlad

Agreed. And there lies the problem - the big disparity between contributory and non contributory benefit systems puts the UK out on a limb, being seen as a soft touch. I believe a significant factor that helped cause brexit. A topic largely ignored by the media even during the referendum process.

bobd22

The only politician I saw mention this point during the referendum debate was Labours Alan Johnson and even then the point was ignored or glossed over by the interviewer.