Healthcare in Marbella

In 2019 Spain was awarded the title of the ‘Healthiest Nation in the World’. That’s one great reason to move here all by itself. The country’s citizens also have a longer life expectancy than those of a number of other European countries. Much of this healthiness is attributed to Spain’s Mediterranean diet, yet it is also true that Spain is a top-notch healthcare provider and residents can choose from state-financed services, private healthcare or a combination of both.

Marbella provides an excellent range of medical facilities both in the private and public sector, and one of the advantages of living here is that in addition to the provision of general medical care for commonly found illnesses, there are also many excellent specialists offering advanced medical treatments for more serious conditions.

Public health centres
The state funded medical centres, or centros de salud, which are often referred to locally as the ambulatorio may be used for emergencies that don’t require immediate hospitalisation, as well as standard GP consultations. They have a 24-hour urgencias department. To use these, you will need to bring your passport along and either a Spanish or European health card that entitles you to treatment in Spain.

The Costa del Sol Hospital
This large general hospital serves the entire Costa del Sol and is renowned for the quality of its care. Similarly, the hospitals in Málaga city have treated many foreign residents over the years, with many crediting their recovery to the expertise of the Spanish consultants and their teams.

Private healthcare
Private clinics range from health centres that provide family doctors, nurses and specialist services to antenatal clinics. Most foreign residents have private medical insurance to pay for use of these clinics, but do check when you make an appointment that your insurer is one that the clinic works with. For example, the Clinica del Rio is an example of a general clinic with GP, nurse and specialist services. Others of note are HC Marbella, Hospitén, Hospital Quirónsalud and Hospital Ceram Marbella.

Selecting an insurer for private healthcare can be challenging, as there are so many companies offering this service. However, a significant number of foreign residents opt to use Sanitas, because it is well-established and communication can be in English. Here are details of Inger Bergman Lindvall our preferred Sanitas agent:

Avenida Puerta del Mar nº 46, (close to Lidl) in Estepona.
Tel: (+34) 951 316 610
ibergman.pex@sanitas.es