Legal tip 190. Foreign patients in Spanish hospitals
03 December 2009 @ 13:13
This week, a group of countries led by Spain has paralyzed Community rules governing the rights of patients to receive healthcare in other member states.
For Spanish Health Minister, Trinidad Jimenez, the directive does not guarantee the quality of care and also involves extra costs for the Spanish health of 2,000 million euros.
French expert Francis Mountains, president of the Delegation for European and International Affairs of the National Council of Physicians of France, has suggested that 'the Spanish refusal is because it is afraid to receive many patients from other countries', an argument which is dismantled by him: "Any citizen, by the mere fact of having the EHIC card has access to outpatient medical care. The problem is hospital care, but a system of prior authorization may be established for reimbursement of costs incurred and to regulate the flows of patients for this not to offset the health organization in the country".
The pretext of waiting lists is not valid, according to the French expert; since the new rule contains that no foreign patient will have priority over nationals and must join the waiting list with the same criteria.
I can draw a great conclusion out of it..... we have an excellent Health System! Do you agree?
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