Torrevieja

Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2019 7:04pm

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ChristineC

Posts: 317

45 helpful points

Location: Torrevieja

Joined: 12 Sep 2018

Looking to move to Torrevieja area later in the year.

I currently live on Mallorca and benefit from having the use of the Spanish NHS. I speak German and some Spanish besides English 😉. My question is are the medical professionals bi lingual? Would I need to take an interpreter with me to doctors and/or hospital appointments? Or do they have interpreters?

Also would anyone know if my Spanish Medical Card would be valid? (I'm able to use it in the Canary Islands).

Any input/advice would be appreciated.

Thank you

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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2019 11:38pm

ChristineC

Original Poster

Posts: 317

45 helpful points

Location: Torrevieja

Joined: 12 Sep 2018

Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2019 11:38pm

Thank you😀

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Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2019 6:07am

jimtaylor

Legendary helpful member

Posts: 5612

8739 helpful points

Location: Mudamiento

Joined: 2 Feb 2017

Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2019 6:07am

The red plastic SIP card is valid throughout Spanish territory, but whether you've got that or the older blue/green one, you'll still have to get the card changed for one reflecting your new medical centre.

My experience is that many of the doctors, especially the younger ones, do speak English, and some speak it very well. However, most prefer to speak only Spanish, in which case I often take a Spanish speaker with us. My cardiologist, who speaks better English than some Brits, told me he prefers to keep to Spanish in order to avoid any possibility of a misunderstanding.