Free healthcare / convenio especial availability

[Lynn R]

Originally Posted by baldilocks

Good luck, Lynn, glad to hear that you are much better.

Yes I'm grateful for the medical services here in Andalucía. Two years ago, I had a pain in my chest that would not go away, I was also short of breath. Local hospital did scans, decided that, to start with, I had pneumonia (brought on, I think, by very heavy pollen) plus there was a suspicious mass in my right lung (Ooops, one thinks, is it Big C ?)

Transferred to the pneumology department in Granada, many tests and scans (it gets quite boring inside those machines.) They started carrying out tests. Trying to get a sample of "the lump" proved unsuccessful, so they decided that they had better see how well I might fare if they had to remove part or all of my right lung (scary ) When they got me to do walking tests, I was all right at a fairly slow to moderate speed but when they wanted me to go a little faster, I got angina. Stop, Stop, Stop. Send me home and bring me in later for another attempt at getting a sample of the lump but, this time, by going in from the outside. In the machine, which runs up, they start looking at what is the current state of the lump, but it has moved and shrunk a bit. Stop again.

They decided that the "lump" was probably a mass from the pneumonia and will probably disperse on its own, in any case trying a biopsy from the outside was now out of the question since it would have collapsed my lung.

Fast forward 9 months to March of last year and I am having breathing difficulties and mild angina. GP decided to send for an ambulance to take me in to the local hospital. I had mild angina for most of the day. At 11.30pm I have the most excruciating pains in my chest and in my upper arms. Fortunately I had the panic button just tucked under my pillow and I hit it. I was immediately given an injection that stopped the pain and got me working a bit more normally and I was transferred (same ambulance and same nurse as before) to the UCI (oothie as they call it!) in Granada. Specialist eventually does a cardiac catheter and decides that since I have already had a bypass and two stents (all of which are now blocked,) nothing can be done so send me home.

My GP, by sending me into hospital when he did, probably saved my life. I now have a treadmill to enable me to exercise in all weathers, even in the heat (with the A/C on) in an attempt to encourage my body to develop new blood vessels to feed my heart.

My goodness, you have really been through the mill. I hope they are right and you can develop the new blood vessels.

The kind of treatment you and I have had (although I used my private health insurance to pay for mine on the basis that as we were paying the premiums we might as well get something for it, but I'm sure the treatment in the public health service would have been just as good) just shows what kind of financial commitment the Spanish Government could be letting itself in for if it did make universal healthcare available to all foreigners living in the country (which is what it said in the El Economista article linked to above). At a time when the Government is having to make a "loan" to Social Security to enable pensions to be paid, this move does seem a bit strange, but I guess we just have to wait and see.

[Michael Kelly]

My american friend who is here illegally for the last ten years has a public health card and recently had to spend over 2 weeks in hospital. She received great care and I was surprised how modern the facilities were.

[Pesky Wesky]

I have had to make use of a local hospital recently. I say a local hospital because I actually had a choice of 3 for my particular ailment ( nothing dramatic, broken bone in foot) . Treatment received so far I would say very good although the emergency room could have been better. For example I was already having the cast put on before a doctor had explained what I had done... A friend of mine was in hospital ( different one ) recently for 3 weeks was very ill and she is a complicated case. Her treatment was excellent, the team of doctors very much in contact and the room was huge, clean and with sofa bed for a companion

[Pesky Wesky]

Originally Posted by baldilocks

Good luck, Lynn, glad to hear that you are much better.

Yes I'm grateful for the medical services here in Andalucía. Two years ago, I had a pain in my chest that would not go away, I was also short of breath. Local hospital did scans, decided that, to start with, I had pneumonia (brought on, I think, by very heavy pollen) plus there was a suspicious mass in my right lung (Ooops, one thinks, is it Big C ?)

Transferred to the pneumology department in Granada, many tests and scans (it gets quite boring inside those machines.) They started carrying out tests. Trying to get a sample of "the lump" proved unsuccessful, so they decided that they had better see how well I might fare if they had to remove part or all of my right lung (scary ) When they got me to do walking tests, I was all right at a fairly slow to moderate speed but when they wanted me to go a little faster, I got angina. Stop, Stop, Stop. Send me home and bring me in later for another attempt at getting a sample of the lump but, this time, by going in from the outside. In the machine, which runs up, they start looking at what is the current state of the lump, but it has moved and shrunk a bit. Stop again.

They decided that the "lump" was probably a mass from the pneumonia and will probably disperse on its own, in any case trying a biopsy from the outside was now out of the question since it would have collapsed my lung.

Fast forward 9 months to March of last year and I am having breathing difficulties and mild angina. GP decided to send for an ambulance to take me in to the local hospital. I had mild angina for most of the day. At 11.30pm I have the most excruciating pains in my chest and in my upper arms. Fortunately I had the panic button just tucked under my pillow and I hit it. I was immediately given an injection that stopped the pain and got me working a bit more normally and I was transferred (same ambulance and same nurse as before) to the UCI (oothie as they call it!) in Granada. Specialist eventually does a cardiac catheter and decides that since I have already had a bypass and two stents (all of which are now blocked,) nothing can be done so send me home.

My GP, by sending me into hospital when he did, probably saved my life. I now have a treadmill to enable me to exercise in all weathers, even in the heat (with the A/C on) in an attempt to encourage my body to develop new blood vessels to feed my heart.

Poor Baldi. Glad to hear you are satisfied with the care you are receiving though. Hope you are managing to keep your sunny disposition. Good luck with the recovery.
We seem to be a load of sickies recently...

[Lynn R]

Another thought just occurred to me - if the new Government really does mean to guarantee healthcare for ALL foreigners resident in Spain, then what need would there be for the Convenio Especial whereby people can pay to access public healthcare?

[Michael Kelly]

Originally Posted by Lynn R

Another thought just occurred to me - if the new Government really does mean to guarantee healthcare for ALL foreigners resident in Spain, then what need would there be for the Convenio Especial whereby people can pay to access public healthcare?

is this Convenio only for EU citizens? I had not heard about it before. In theory, EU citizens who are not working need private healthcare to live in Spain, however now people who do not register as EU citizens and just sign on the local padron will have access to the public healthcare system. Actually, this is already the case in Catalyuna.

[Lynn R]

Originally Posted by Michael Kelly

is this Convenio only for EU citizens? I had not heard about it before. In theory, EU citizens who are not working need private healthcare to live in Spain, however now people who do not register as EU citizens and just sign on the local padron will have access to the public healthcare system. Actually, this is already the case in Catalyuna.

No, it's not just for EU citizens - one of our forum members, Elyles, who is a US citizens, has posted that he and his wife access healthcare in Spain via the Convenio Especial. It costs €60 per person month for those aged up to 65 and €157 per month for those aged 65 and over. It does not include the cost of any medications, so involves paying 100% of the cost of those on top of the monthly contributions.

I have read elsewhere that Portugal now allows all residents, regardless of age or employment status, to register for state healthcare, so perhaps the new Spanish Government initiative will be similar to that?

[Michael Kelly]

Originally Posted by Lynn R

No, it's not just for EU citizens - one of our forum members, Elyles, who is a US citizens, has posted that he and his wife access healthcare in Spain via the Convenio Especial. It costs €60 per person month for those aged up to 65 and €157 per month for those aged 65 and over. It does not include the cost of any medications, so involves paying 100% of the cost of those on top of the monthly contributions.

I have read elsewhere that Portugal now allows all residents, regardless of age or employment status, to register for state healthcare, so perhaps the new Spanish Government initiative will be similar to that?

I suspect that this "new initiative" will just apply to people who do not have legal residence papers, legal residents will have to continue to pay. That's how things are in Catalyuna now.

[Pesky Wesky]

QUOTE=Michael Kelly;14534800]I suspect that this "new initiative" will just apply to people who do not have legal residence papers, legal residents will have to continue to pay. That's how things are in Catalyuna now.

It's not a new initiative; it's something that's being reinstated after being taken away by the PP.
I would be cautious about celebration because it's only "in" as long as a government decides that it isn't any more which is what has happened before in the PSOE/ PP squabble and with places like Valencia who at one time won a lot of British immigrants for example by offering free healthcare until that was oveturned.

[xabiaxica]

Originally Posted by Michael Kelly

is this Convenio only for EU citizens? I had not heard about it before. In theory, EU citizens who are not working need private healthcare to live in Spain, however now people who do not register as EU citizens and just sign on the local padron will have access to the public healthcare system. Actually, this is already the case in Catalyuna.

It was reinstated in Valencia too a few years ago, but Madrid made the Valencian PSOE stop offering it alsmost as soon as they started.