Emergencies on the islands or in a remote village

Terms used

• Consultorio — A consultorio is a small village branch of a centro de salud, often open only a few mornings a week.
• Centro de salud — A centro de salud is your main public health centre, which runs the village consultorios in its area.
• PAC — A PAC is a continuous-care point, a clinic in a larger town that treats urgent cases outside normal hours.
• SUAP — A SUAP is a regional name for an out-of-hours urgent care point, like a PAC.
• EHIC — The EHIC is the European Health Insurance Card, which gives EU visitors access to public healthcare.

Key rules

• Emergency number: Call 112, or 061 where your region uses it; a regulating doctor then decides what help is sent.
• Transfers: Only the coordination centre's doctor authorises a helicopter, plane or boat transfer, on medical grounds.
• Cost: With public coverage, medically justified transfers are paid by the regional health service; transfers at your own request are not.
• Visitors: Private transfers and repatriation are not normally covered by an EHIC, so you need insurance.

In an emergency, call 112 first

Call 112, or 061 in the regions that use it, and do not drive yourself to a closed village clinic. The call goes to a regional coordination centre. Health is run by each region, so names differ, but the process is the same. Operators and a regulating doctor judge how urgent it is and send the right help: a basic ambulance, an advanced ambulance with a doctor and nurse, or a helicopter.

Say clearly where you are. In a village, give the road, the kilometre point, the nearest landmark or the village name. Stay on the line until they tell you to hang up.

Expect distance and delay

Plan for a 20 to 60 minute trip, or more, to a continuous-care point or hospital. Help may also take time to reach you. Know this before you choose a home, and keep a car with fuel or a plan for getting to the road.

What the village consultorio can and cannot do

A consultorio is a small branch of your centro de salud. Many open only a few mornings a week, for 1 to 3 hours, with a doctor and sometimes a nurse. Some have no daily presence. Hours are set by the regional health service and change with season and staffing, so ask your centro de salud for the current days.

Outside those hours, urgent but not life-threatening problems go to the PAC or SUAP in the nearest larger town. Anything serious goes through 112 or 061.

How air and sea transfers work

You cannot order a helicopter or boat yourself. The regulating doctor at the coordination centre decides on medical grounds and authorises it. A treating doctor or hospital usually asks for the transfer, and the centre assigns the resource: a medicalised helicopter or plane, or a boat.

At sea, call 112 as well. Sea rescue is handled by Salvamento Marítimo, with Cruz Roja helping, and ships can get medical advice by radio. Scheduled, non-urgent transfers between islands, such as in the Balearics or Canaries, are authorised by the regional health service.

Who pays

If you have public health coverage, the regional health service pays for medically justified transfers between islands or to the mainland, urgent or scheduled. You may be billed, or your insurer must pay, if:

• you ask for the transfer yourself,
• you are a private patient,
• you have no coverage, or
• you are a tourist who is not covered.

Visitors with an EHIC are generally treated as insured. Private transfers and repatriation are not normally covered, so check your travel insurance.

Island residents in the Canaries and Balearics also have schemes that help with travel, and sometimes lodging, for specialist care off the island. They vary by region, so ask your regional health service.

Set up before you need it

The checklist below walks you through the steps. The decision below helps you choose between the 112 call, the PAC or SUAP and the consultorio.

Choosing between options

Where do you go for urgent care when the village clinic is closed?

• Call 112 or 061: Choose this for anything serious or unclear, or when moving would be risky; the centre sends an ambulance or helicopter.

• Go to the PAC or SUAP in the nearest larger town: Choose this for urgent but stable problems out of hours, if you can travel safely, usually 20 to 60 minutes or more.

• Visit the village consultorio: Choose this for non-urgent needs when it is open, often only a few mornings a week.

If the problem could be life-threatening or you cannot travel safely, call 112 or 061. If it is urgent but stable and the consultorio is closed, go to the PAC or SUAP. Otherwise wait for consultorio hours.

Checklist

• Ask the centro de salud which days and hours your village consultorio (the small local clinic) opens, as it may open only a few mornings a week for 1 to 3 hours.

• Find the nearest continuous-care point (PAC or SUAP) in the closest larger town and note how to get there.

• Work out the travel time from your home to that point and to the nearest hospital, which can be 20 to 60 minutes or more.

• Save 112 and your region's health emergency number (061 in many regions) in your phone, and learn what to say about your exact location.

• Ask your regional health service what it pays for if you need a transfer between islands or to the mainland, and whether a travel subsidy covers specialist trips.

• Check your insurance covers private transfers and repatriation if you are a visitor or not in the public system.

Frequently asked questions

Who decides if I get a helicopter or boat transfer?

The regulating doctor at the regional emergency coordination centre decides and authorises air and sea transfers on medical grounds. Your treating doctor or hospital asks for the transfer, and the centre then assigns a medicalised helicopter, plane or boat. For emergencies at sea, Salvamento Marítimo, Spain's maritime rescue service, takes charge.

Who pays for a medical transfer between islands or to the mainland?

The regional health service pays for medically justified transfers if you have public health coverage, whether urgent or scheduled. You are billed, or your insurer pays, if you are a private patient, have no coverage, are a tourist without cover, or ask for the transfer yourself. EU visitors with a EHIC card are generally treated as insured, but private transfers and repatriation are not normally covered.

Do island residents get help with travel to specialist care off the island?

Yes, residents of the Canaries and Balearics have travel-subsidy schemes for specialist care off the island, but they cover travel and sometimes accommodation only. The rules differ by region. Ask your regional health service what you can claim before you travel.

Who answers the phone when I call from a remote village?

A regional emergency coordination centre answers, whether you call 112 or the regional health number 061 where it exists. Operators and a doctor assess the call and send basic life support, a doctor-and-nurse ambulance or a helicopter.