I have heard so much good about the Spanish health care, but from my wife’s personal experience, we were unfortunate and chose a doctor that wasn’t up to scratch, and has changed her, and my, life beyond recognition.
We had private health care , when we lived out there, and my wife was experiencing some pain in her chest/back, along with a cough.
We visited the doctor who organised various tests, including hospital visits, and the explanation was that the pain was muscular.
At the time we were working in the UK as live in carers, so whilst working in London, my wife started to feel worse, so visited a walk in centre in Kingston, where there were no doctors present. A nurse listened to her description of the symptoms and advised her to visit her doctor ASAP, but wouldn’t say what she thought the problem was, because she wasn’t qualified.
By now the symptoms included a tingling in the legs and some loss of feeling.
She flew back to Spain, saw the doctor and was reassured that there was nothing to worry about, so she come back to the UK to resume work.
A few days later her legs stopped working. Fortunately she was caring for a client who house shared with another person who also had a carer. This other carer called an ambulance which rushed her to the local hospital, which forwarded her to another in London, where she was operated on to remove a tumour from her spine, caused by the spread of lung cancer. She can take some steps now, but not enough to be able to live a normal life, without needing a wheelchair and support.
I accept that we were unlucky in our choice of doctor, as all our neighbours out there love the health care, which is why I would go back and live there.
Sorry to spill my guts.
