When travelling on vacation to any country within the European Union, it is mandatory to obtain a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) to ensure that you can receive medical care in the event of an emergency without incurring any expenses and “under the same conditions as an insured person” from that country. The Valencian Community is also home to European visitors who visit throughout the year. According to data from the Generalitat Valenciana (Generalitat Valenciana), international tourism will reach 1.19 million individuals by June 2025. If you visit another autonomous community, you are not required to present a specific document to access a health centre or hospital, as the autonomous communities have a mutual accord to provide care. The question of the healthcare cost for tourists in the Valencian Community is evident during the peak visitor season on the Valencian coast during the summer.
The Valencian public health system conducted 939,031 consultations with immigrants, 775,592 with citizens temporarily displaced from other autonomous communities, and 163,439 with patients with the European Health Card in 2023, the most recent definitive data. This is illustrated in the Ministry of Health’s most recent publication, the 2023 Management Report. The regional administration incurred a cost of €152.07 million from an economic standpoint. The Generalitat incurred a €112.7 million expense from national tourists, while the cost of European tourists was €39.3 million. In order to provide context, the year 2023 concluded with 28.8 million visitors, comprising 10.4 million international and 18.4 million domestic travellers.
Despite the fact that the Valencian region has become a more popular tourist destination, healthcare costs have remained consistent for nearly a decade. The Valencian Community received 22.81 million travellers in 2015, with 16.3 million being domestic and 6.49 million being international. This figure accounts for 72% of the total number of visitors registered in 2023. Nevertheless, the total number of healthcare visits was 982,103, which is 4% more than two years ago. Over the past decade, the economic cost has increased by 20 million, or 15%, over the course of eight years. In 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic was at its peak, with a total of 997,679 healthcare visits and €153.6 million in consultations. These figures are strikingly similar to the most recent official figures.
Martha Escobar, a physician at the XÃ bia health centre and a member of the Spanish Society of Primary Care Physicians (Semergen), elucidates that the majority of patients are tourists who have a second residence on the Valencian coast. In this regard, the primary focus of care is the treatment of chronic patients who spend extended periods of time in these locations, as well as minor pathologies that result from maritime or nighttime leisure activities. It is important to note that the Ministry of Health has reinforced 74 health centres, which is eight more than in 2024, and has opened 25 auxiliary shore clinics, which is six more. This is part of its plan to enhance health care during the summer to which it has allocated 82.5 million euros.
This perception is corroborated by official data, which indicates that Primary Care conducts 73.27% of consultations, which amounts to 688,109 consultations with a total cost of 32 million euros. These are individuals who visit the doctor’s office or outpatient clinic for ear infections, heat stroke, a marine animal sting, or incidents (such as falls or fights) that occur while they are out at night. The estimated cost of the admission of 12,754 tourists—8,239 nationals and 4,425 Europeans—in the hospital setting was 57.9 million euros.
There are two pertinent sections in the healthcare breakdown. The initial item is the pharmaceutical tab, which includes the cost of consultations and a total of 2,309,000 prescriptions issued at a cost of €24.3 million. The majority of this amount, 87%, is attributed to Spaniards from other autonomous communities. The second category consists of 3,470 radiodiagnostic episodes, which have a value of nearly €400 million and are incurred by European tourists. These episodes affect individuals who own a second residence on the Mediterranean coast and spend extended periods of time there.
The Valencian Community is undoubtedly one of the autonomous regions with the highest expenditure on healthcare for travellers, as a result of its dedication to tourism. The Valencian Community is “at the top of the regional health systems in terms of revenue for primary care and pharmacy prescriptions dispensed to people travelling between communities,” as the Generalitat (Catalan Government) itself acknowledges. Despite the fact that the €152 million tourism healthcare bill accounts for only 1.84% of the Ministry of Health’s budget, this sum could be used to construct nearly 25 new health centres from the ground up. For instance, the health centre in Campanar-Ernest Lluch cost €5.6 million. Is the Generalitat (Catalan Government) responsible for the tourism bill’s expenses?
The autonomous community is required to bill the country or autonomous region of origin for the cost of treating a tourist, as per national legislation. This is accomplished through the Health Cohesion Fund and the National Health System (NHS), which are exclusively funded by the Executive and the Ministry of Health. This is stipulated in Royal Decree 1207/2006 of October 20, which regulates this mechanism and establishes specific amounts for each category of health care in its annexes. If the tourist does not possess a European Health Insurance Card or if the country of origin does not have a health agreement with Spain, the tourist is responsible for paying the fee. This was the situation with the Valencian individual who was admitted to Cancún last year.
The Spanish government has repeatedly asserted that the Healthcare Guarantee Fund and the Health Cohesion Fund are in debt, with sources from the Ministry of Health estimating the sum at 1 billion. Nevertheless, they continue to emphasise regional financing as the “primary grievance,” resulting in the Valencian Community being one of the least well-funded in Spain.
Author: Derek Appleton
No Comment! Be the first one.