Healthcare in Tossa de Mar

Public healthcare in Catalonia is managed through the regional health service, CatSalut (Servei Català de la Salut). Entitlement to state healthcare depends on your residency and employment status.

British expatriates qualify for statutory Catalan public healthcare under several standard routes:

• Employment or Self-Employment: Contributing to the Spanish social security system (Seguridad Social) as an employee or registered self-employed worker (autónomo).
• UK State Pensioners (S1 Scheme): Individuals receiving a UK state retirement pension can obtain an S1 form from the UK Overseas Healthcare Services. Registering the S1 with the Spanish social security office gives full access to state healthcare funded by the UK.
• Permanent Residents: Legal residents who have resided in Spain for five continuous years can access the national health system.
• Convenio Especial: For early retirees or residents under non-lucrative visas who do not otherwise qualify, Catalonia participates in the Convenio Especial, a state buy-in scheme allowing access to public healthcare for a fixed monthly contribution after one year of registered residence.

Visitors and temporary arrivals from the UK can use a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) for necessary, urgent state healthcare treatment.

Accessing public healthcare requires completing a sequential administrative process once you have arrived in Tossa de Mar.

1. Register on the Padrón: Visit the Ajuntament de Tossa de Mar to register on the municipal population register (padrón municipal). You will receive an official certificate (volant de padró) proving your local address.
2. Obtain Social Security Affiliation: If working or registering an S1 form, process your social security number or pension certification through the Instituto Nacional de la Seguridad Social (INSS).
3. Apply for the TSI Card: Take your identity documents (passport and NIE or TIE residence card), volant de padró, and social security document to the local primary care centre or submit your application online through the CatSalut portal. CatSalut issues the Targeta Sanitària Individual (TSI), which is your permanent regional health card.
4. Doctor Assignment: Once registered, CatSalut assigns you a personal family doctor (metge de família) and a paediatrician for children at the local health clinic.

Routine non-emergency outpatient healthcare is handled by the primary care centre in town, known locally as the CAP Tossa de Mar (Centre d'Atenció Primària).

At the CAP, residents access:

• General practitioner consultations and check-ups
• Nursing care, blood pressure monitoring, wound dressing, and routine injections
• Regular blood and diagnostic sample collections
• Routine paediatric care and childhood vaccination schedules
• Administrative referrals to hospital outpatient specialists

Appointments can be booked in advance online via the digital health platform La Meva Salut or in person at the CAP reception. Primary care consultations are conducted in Catalan and Spanish; while some medical staff speak conversational English, taking an interpreter or translation tool is sensible for technical discussions.

There is no acute inpatient hospital in Tossa de Mar. Secondary and tertiary medical care is provided by regional public hospitals located within driving distance:

• Hospital Comarcal de la Selva (Blanes): Located ~20 km south in Blanes, this is the primary district general hospital for the southern Costa Brava. It handles general emergency admissions, routine surgeries, diagnostic imaging, and specialist consultations referred by your CAP doctor.
• Hospital Universitari de Girona Doctor Josep Trueta (Girona): Situated ~45 km away in Girona, this major tertiary referral and teaching hospital provides advanced acute services, specialised trauma surgery, intensive care, oncology, and tertiary paediatric facilities.

Non-emergency specialist hospital consultations require a referral from your assigned CAP doctor in Tossa de Mar.

For any critical, life-threatening emergency, dial 112, the free pan-European emergency number, which operates with operators fluent in English, Catalan, and Spanish. Road ambulance transport is coordinated via the Sistema d'Emergències Mèdiques (SEM).

For urgent conditions outside the operational hours of the local CAP, patients must travel to the continuous primary care urgent point (PAC) or the 24-hour emergency department at Hospital Comarcal de la Selva in Blanes (~20 km).

Prescription medicines and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals are dispensed exclusively by licensed retail pharmacies (farmàcies), identified across town by an illuminated green cross. Pharmacies operate rota systems to ensure at least one chemist is on duty (de guàrdia) overnight, on weekends, and during public holidays. The duty schedule is posted in the window of every pharmacy and updated online by the town council.

Many British expats in Tossa de Mar carry private medical insurance, either as a visa requirement (such as for non-lucrative or digital nomad visas) or to bypass public waiting lists and secure appointments with English-speaking specialists.

Private providers such as ASSSA, Sanitas, DKV, and Adeslas maintain networks across the province of Girona. While primary private consultations can sometimes be arranged via private practitioners visiting the area, full private hospitalisation, advanced scans (such as MRI and CT), and specialised day surgeries are centred in larger neighbouring hubs, particularly Lloret de Mar (~12 km) and the city of Girona (~45 km).

When buying private cover, verify that your policy has comprehensive provider coverage across the Comarca de la Selva and includes direct billing agreements with private hospitals in Girona and Barcelona.

Healthcare in Tossa de Mar is dependable for everyday medical needs, supported by a dedicated local CAP in town. However, the town does not have a hospital or 24-hour emergency room on its doorstep. Residents must factor in driving ~20 km along the coastal road to Blanes or ~45 km to Girona for acute emergencies, routine specialist consultations, and surgical treatment. Tossa de Mar suits retirees and families who are mobile, comfortable driving or arranging transport for hospital visits, and willing to navigate regional administration through CatSalut.

• Ajuntament de Tossa de Mar (Generalitat of Catalonia / Wikipedia)
• Healthcare and Medical Advice in Tossa de Mar Forum (Costa Brava Forum)
• Medical Clinics and Testing in Tossa and Lloret de Mar (Costa Brava Forum)
• Oficina de Turisme de Tossa de Mar (Tossa de Mar Tourist Office)
• Private Healthcare and Insurance in Tossa de Mar (Costa Brava Forum)