VOCATIONAL ORIENTATED CULTURAL

AND LANGUAGE PREPARATION

Emergency Services

Local and national newspapers usually offer a list of the most important telephone numbers of a city.  

They are also listed in telephone directories: "Yellow pages", “White Pages", ...  

Important Telephone Numbers

Healthcare in Spain: The Spanish Health System

The Spanish welfare system provides all residents in Spain with healthcare. Citizens can choose between the public health system, commonly called Social Security, or take health insurance with an existing private health insurance company. You have to be registered in order to be entitled to health service benefits offered by Social Security and associated organisations.   

Cost of Health Care

Healthcare in Spain, both public and private, is expensive. As regards Social Security, Spanish workers and companies pay the costs through what is known as “social security deductions”. In the case of the private health sector, the policyholder pays the costs through insurance premiums. In general, the Social Security coverage is cheaper for an employee than taking out private health insurance, although the quality of the service is inferior.

Chemists

Most chemists open from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and from 4:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., although in big cities some are open twenty-four hours a day. There is a rota system for chemists to open both at night and weekends. Opening hours are displayed in every chemist’s window and local newspapers, which also list their addresses.  

Hospitals and Health Centres

Emergency rooms in hospitals are open 24 hours. In the event of a serious injury, you have to go to the emergency room. If it is a minor ailment you have to make an appointment at your health centre (each area has one). A doctor there will refer you to the specialist in the hospital if necessary.  

Social security Workers / Grant holders: European Health Insurance Card

As of the 1^st June 2004, the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) has replaced the forms used for temporary stays (mainly E-111 and E-128). Each EHIC card entitles the holder to receive the healthcare necessary, during their temporary stay in EU/EEA member-States and Switzerland. The validity period is shown on the European Health Insurance Card. Healthcare is provided under the same terms as for citizens in their own countries.  

Note that the European Health Insurance Card cannot be used if the aim of travel to another country is to receive specific healthcare treatment.  

Security Bodies

In Spain there are three different security bodies: 

1. Civil Guard  
2. National Police  
3. Urban Police, Local Police and Neighbourhood Police

The Civil Guard is a military security body whose main tasks are to protect the people’s safety in rural areas, policing roads and assisting in the combat of terrorism throughout all of Spain.   

The National Police is a civilian security body whose main tasks are similar to those of the Civil Guard. However, they operate in urban areas across Spain.   

Municipal, Local and Neighbourhood Police are civilian security bodies linked to city councils. Among their duties, they ensure that people observe traffic rules within the urban centres, preserve people’s safety, as well as establish closer relationships with the citizens.   

Information Sources

Newspapers

• National (El País, El Mundo, ABC...)
• Local (different local newspapers with general information)

Websites

Social Security: http://www.seg-social.es

Civil Defence:  http://www.proteccioncivil.org/telefon.htm