Primary Care

The Spanish healthcare system offers two levels of care to its patients: primary care, and specialised care. Primary healthcare, or 'Nivel de atención primaria', includes all basic medical assistance, including medical consultations and check ups at health centres: 'Ambulatorios', or 'Centros de salud'. Primary healthcare offers diagnosis and treatment of basic maladies, but does not offer specialised care or specialised medical procedures.

If you would like a medical check up, or are feeling unwell, you can visit a doctor, 'médico de familia', at your local health centre. If the doctor considers that you would benefit from specialised treatment, perhaps to treat a complex disease, they may refer you to a specialised practitioner. You cannot normally visit a specialist directly, without having been referred, unless you are willing to pay private patient fees.