Appointments
To visit a doctor you will need to contact your local health centre, via telephone or in person, and request an appointment. If you are living in a rural area, you may find that your nearest option is a local clinic, typically supported by a larger health centre in the nearest large town or city. If you are not registered with the Spanish social security system, you can go directly to a private clinic, but you will need to pay for the treatment you receive.
Whether you have public or private health insurance, consultations with a general practitioner are typically available within one or two days. If your condition is urgent, you should be given an appointment for the same day: if you need care urgently you can go directly to the nearest hospital for immediate treatment. However, the wait for an appointment is often longer in the public system than if you visit a private clinic.
It is important not to be late for your appointment, to avoid delaying other people's consultations. Bear in mind that other patients may be very unwell, elderly or infirm, and are not in a fit condition to wait for a long period of time. As a result, if you are late for your appointment you may lose your place in the queue and have to wait for other patients to finish.
You can request a longer appointment if you think that you will need more time, perhaps because you are not fluent in Spanish and need longer to communicate your problem, or because you have a complicated condition. If you do not speak Spanish at all, make sure that you ask for a doctor who can speak English or at least another language that you know. If you are uncertain whether you have understood the doctor correctly, do not be afraid to ask: typically, doctors will empathise with your communication problems and do their best to help you.
If you want to see a specialist or have a particular test such as a blood analysis, remember that you will first need to visit your general doctor; they can give you a specialised appointment or a referral to visit another practitioner.
If you are already registered in the Social Security system (link to 2), you will not need to bring your medical card because you will already be listed in the database. However, it is always a good idea to bring your card, in case you are asked to show your card, or in case there is a problem with the surgery's computers. If you are going to see a private doctor, you will always need to bring your medical card or another suitable proof of identification.
