Dick Dasterdly

.....are increasingly refusing to treat Holidaymakers carrying EU Health cards, according to the lead story on this mornings BBC Money programme.

More and more are being fobbed off and sent to Private Clinics.

It was stated that this is clearly in breach of EU law and the advice given was that that those seeking emergency medical treatment should insist on their rights when visiting Spain.

steviedeluxe

http://my.telegraph.co.uk/expat/anna...medium=twitter

notacontrathinker

For a minute there, I thought the article was written by 'Amideislas' not 'Annanicholas'.

Nurse ! More paranoia pills please.

Dick Dasterdly

One persons opinion via rose tinted specs doesn't alter the fact that it is increasingly happening.

I have high regard of the Spanish hospitals myself, especially in view of how well they cope with such large numbers of patients under not always the easiest of conditions.

That however is a separate issue and I have personal experience myself of this happening, when on one occasion the state clinic tried to palm me off onto a private clinic.

It just so happened that the private clinic was closed and so I went back into the state clinic and made it clear that they should not be doing this and I was eventually treated.

steviedeluxe

The reports we have on here from people living in Spain, and who have used the health system, have been very favourable. If we do ever have evidence from the forum regulars that the system has changed, then I agree that it's something to look into. In the meantime, that DT contributor appears to sum up the situation:

agoreira

She has form when it comes to wearing rose tinted glasses, she's an author and journalist that makes her living praising Mallorca. As you say, it's happening, and not just the odd case either, to pretend it's not happening is to bury your head in the sand, to be in denial. It's obviously serious enough for the EU to warn Spain.

Dick Dasterdly

Precisely.

Anyone can quote individual opinions both good and bad and the issue has nothing to do with the quality of treatment anyway.

The fact is that EU rules are deliberately being flouted.

No doubt under present circumstances there may well be a number of likely reasons for this, but there is little point in speculating, other than to face the facts,....

.....though it seems our Minister of Propaganda would much prefer them swept under the carpet,....... so no great surprise there.

steviedeluxe

May I suggest that we listen to expats here, who've lived in Spain and experienced the health system (bad or good), rather than take lectures from the notorious Spain-hater Aggy, who has never lived there? If he wants a pissing contest I'd suggest that Staffs or Dr Shipman cases would quickly lose him the battle.
It is actually quite an important issue for anyone thinking of moving or even just spending holidays there.

Dick Dasterdly

As I said anyone can parrot opinions both good and bad, but as you say this is an important issue,

So lets get this straight.

ARE YOU SAYING THAT BOTH THE BBC AND THE EU ARE ISSUING TOTALLY FALSE INFORMATION HERE ???

steviedeluxe

I'm saying that I've yet to hear of genuine cases from Brits resident in Spain, of being refused treatment to which they are entitled... Like others here, I am willing to listen to genuine documented cases, as it may affect me or others I know in the future. Until that time I'm inclined to believe the report from the lady in Mallorca. But yes, if there are opposite pieces of evidence we need to listen to them.
And for anyone who doesn't believe the British media doesn't follow an agenda - Can anyone remember the big "Spanish pharmacies are running out of medicines" scare last year? Well in October I was asked by my sister back in the UK to get some meds. I went into the Spanish pharmacy, and just as on previous occasions was able to get the required treatments at a lower price. So yes, I do not automatically believe the British media! They've introduced too many scare-monger stories concerning Spain over the last year (remember the alleged Santander bank run of last year? Or the bank run predicted after Cyprus?)

Lynn R

I've only had one experience of a British national requiring emergency treatment in a Spanish state hospital with an EHIC - when our friends' small daughter broke her arm on the first afternoon of their summer holiday last year.

They didn't have their passports or EHICs on them when the accident happened but the mother took the child to our local hospital by taxi whilst we went back to their house to collect them. They'd already been seen by the triage nurse by the time we got there, no insistence on seeing the EHIC before they started treatment, never mind trying to send them to a private hospital. After she'd been x-rayed we were told we would have to go to the Hospital Materno y Infantil in Malaga to have the fracture set - again, no problem at all, just presented her passport and EHIC at reception. She had 3 more follow-up appointments within a fortnight before going home, and was given a CD with copies of her x-rays on it to take back to the UK. The administrator at our local health centre even insisted on registering the child with a doctor for a one year temporary period "just in case", although she really shouldn't have done it with just an EHIC.

Maybe there have been isolated incidents of people being turned away, but I don't believe it's common.

Dick Dasterdly

Ah, so based on your own personal experience and feedback we are to believe that YOU ARE THE SELF ELECTED JUDGE and JURY ?

I will not go into details of my personal experience of problems obtaining medication, of pharmacies not being paid for months on end or of my being turned away from treatment, as unlike yourself, I do not pretend for one moment to have the complete dossier of information at my disposal.

HOWEVER ARE WE SERIOUSLY SUPPOSED TO ASSUME THAT YOU HAVE MORE SOLID EVIDENCE ON HAND THAN THE BBC and the EU put together ???

Somehow I think that you once again stretch your credibility beyond all known boundaries and what on earth the banks have to do with this issue I think is way beyond anyones comprehension.

steviedeluxe

You can ad-hom me all you like - Lynn's answer is far more pertinent, and the type of thing we need to pay attention to.

steviedeluxe

Thanks for the feedback. I think the worry still is though, that (as ever) different areas operate in different ways. One thing this report has confirmed to me is that insurance is essential - I have to admit to travelling in the past without it on occasion.

Dick Dasterdly

Precisely where your argument falls flat as I already pointed out.

You once again rate an individual experience/opinion of more relevance than all the collective information gathered by the BBC and EU together.

I rest my case.