Anyone Had To Visit A Spanish Hospital ?

[alavahalf]

What a fiasco .. arrived in tenerife last thursday and immediately developed flu/cold. The following day I walked a very short distance to sit on the beach.
I then heard and felt a pop in my ankle. Thinking I'd been shot I collapsed onto the pavement with excruciating pain in my ankle.unable to walk or even bare weight, I got rescued and taken to the other side of the island to the Hospital.
The very nice taxi driver more or less carried me into reception and went to put me down in a wheelchair .. the manager in reception stopped him and demanded I pay €200 before I sat down.
The fun began .. she questioned if my credit limit would cover the costs of examinations and possible xrays. I said if it's €200 to sit down , then I'm not exactly sure. Not having a sense of humor and being at their mercy, I told her that I could cover any costs incurred.
She actualy smiled when I showed her I had sought advice from my travel insurance provider. (Who had issued a claim No.)
The doctor I seen insisted I have blood samples and an xray. The nurse who tried to take blood had pushed the intraveenous needle through my vein and out the other side. There was blood on me, even more on her and enough on the floor to suggest a lamb had been slaughtered. The needle connectors ended up on the floor 4 times and at this stage she still didn't have and for the vials. Eventually after 20 mins she actually massaged the blood out of my hand by squeezing the vein and drip by drip, she filled 2 vials.
Now feeling quite dizzy and nauseus with the pain in my ankle .. lo and behold I was wheled off to xray .. now thinking I was geting something for my money, I was asked to remove my shirt for a ... chest xray ?
Not having the same degree of spanish vocabulary as she had I tried to point out that my ankle was the problem .. not my chest. She then showed be her instructions from the doctor. Sure enough I had a big cross on my chest in the notes.Returning to the doctor he said I have hreat news " you do not have a DVT" .. Having lost any faith and wishing to gey out of there, he insisted I have some intravenous pain killer. Sstrangely enough this went very well and I then slept for 13 hours.
Before I left they took another €300 parting gift and suggested I return if I had any problems. He didn't quite understand my reply about a €200 seat and hell freezing over.
Having spent another €25 on a prescription and also buying a walking stick. I cant wait to get back to the good old NHS. Before I returrn I might just go sit in the beach bar at the end of the street. It's too hot to sit in the sun !
In amongst this I am sure we have the makings of a comedy.
The morale of the story is dont go without travel insurance.

[Sqad]

Well, you got that off your chest.
You now know that medical care is expensive worldwide.
That is not my experience of Spanish health care.
Yes...your bottom line....don't travel without health insurance........

[hc4361]

You should have gone to the Hospiten Sur with your EU health card for totally free and excellent treatment

[goodgoalie]

What aghastly experience. Did you not have a European Health Insurance card (Ehic)? I would have thought it would have been free with one

[ducksie]

As I read this I did wonder like goodgoalie and hc, why didn't you use your healthcard?

[douglas9401]

If you enjoyed our tour of the medical facility you'll love the story of 'ambulance personel'.

Ours seemed to be moonlighting binmen on speed.

[Mamyalynne]

Perhaps the taxi drivers are on a bonus to take you to that Hospital?

Seriously though, feel better soon.

[alavahalf]

Hc .. I went to the hospiten sur as the other 2 were closed as it was saturday .. never having claimed before I was not familiar with the routine. The manager wanted my insurance reference No. ... and dismissed my EU card when I showed it.

[maggiebee]

Just a thought - will we still get an EU health card after Brexit?

[ducksie]

I doubt it maggiebee

[Mamyalynne]

This is from September, if anything has changed I haven't heard about it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-41125931

[Sqad]

Got off the plane then immediately developed a "flu like" illness, then presented with a swollen foot and probably swollen leg....I would have thought that a DVT would have been the first diagnosis that came to mind.
Blood tests and Chest X-ray would seem most appropriate.

[ducksie]

Surely whatever hospital the OP went to, his EHIC card should have been accepted and his travel insurance shouldn't be affected. https://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcareabroad/EHIC/Pages/about-the-ehic.aspx

[Samuraisan]

Looks like your were taken to a proxy little private clinic. As others have posted, you should have gone to a NHS ( Spanish) hospital and you would have no problem.

[237SJ]

I have heard of some European countries ignoring the EH1C as they don't want to have to bear the cost which is pretty disgraceful really.

[alavahalf]

Squad I just thought it strange .. I was unable to put my foot down and bare weight.. No swelling in my ankle at all. The pain extended along the outside of my foot and stops just above the ankle.
Like you do, I googled these syptoms and up came Peroneal tendonitis .. when I see an image of where the pain shows with PT .. it shows exactly the same area I have it.

[alavahalf]

Sam look at post of 12.26 .. the Hospiten Sur was the last place the taxi driver wanted to take me as he said it was private and expensive. We visited 2 others which were closed. He wasn't giving me a runaround as he wouldn't accept the extra €10 I offered him.

[gness]

I do think you have the makings of a comedy, Alav.....

Be well....have a good holiday if you can....and double up on the Sangria for the pain.... ;-)......Gx

[alavahalf]

Thanks .. Gness
I am just looking down the street .. we have full sun and blue skies and I hear the beach bar calling.
Feel that it's time to call a taxi and get some sunscreen on .. it would be rude not to.
Fancy staggering into a bar and then drinking coffe ?

[gness]

You stagger, Alav....and I'll drink the coffee..... :-)

[Samuraisan]

There are National Health Hospitals , which never close ( not " ambulatorios " which are health centres for GP's app. Etc. which do have opening times) which would of course accept emergencies with an EC card, and there are private hospitals which will not accept even Spanish NHS patients, only private health insurance, BuPA etc. or cash/credit card or travel insurance. Although I believe some travel insurances require you to pay first and get reimbursed after.