Medical Emergencies in Spain — A Retiree's Guide

The single number that matters: 112

112 is the pan-European emergency number — ambulance, police, fire, sea rescue, mountain rescue. It works from any phone (mobile or landline, even without credit or SIM) and operators answer in Spanish, English, French and German on the Costa Blanca. Always call 112 first — they triage and dispatch the right service.

What to say in the first 30 seconds

• ✦Your location — street, town, nearest landmark (operators have GPS but confirm)
• ✦What happened — heart attack, fall, stroke, breathing difficulty
• ✦Who is affected — age, conscious or not, breathing or not
• ✦Your phone number in case the line drops
• ✦Any known conditions and current medication (have a list on your fridge)

Public vs private ambulance

Calling 112 dispatches a SAMU (advanced) or SVB (basic) ambulance — fully free for residents, and they take you to the nearest appropriate public hospital. If you specifically want to go to a private hospital, ask your insurer's 24/7 line instead and they dispatch their contracted ambulance. For a confirmed cardiac or stroke event, never delay for insurance — call 112 and sort it out at the hospital.

A&E (urgencias) — what to expect

Stroke and heart-attack protocols

The Costa Blanca runs Código Ictus (stroke) and Código Infarto (heart attack) — fast-track protocols that bypass normal triage and take patients straight to a specialist team. Calling 112 with the right symptoms activates the code automatically. Use FAST for stroke (Face drooping, Arm weakness, Speech slurred, Time to call) — Spanish operators trigger the code on these words.

After an emergency — follow-up

After a public hospital discharge, your centro de salud is automatically notified and your GP will see you for follow-up. After private discharge, book follow-up yourself with the discharging specialist. Always ask for the informe de alta (discharge report) and prescription before leaving — it's the document your GP, insurer and pharmacy need.