n summer Andalusian hospitals serve many more patients than in the rest of the year, especially on the coasts.

It happens every summer with the arrival of tourists. We must join visitors from other autonomous communities, those from the European Union and the outside. To this end, the Andalusian Health System (SAS) tries to live up to the demands on the hospitals in summer.

This year we have recruited 233 doctors for for the 48 primary care centers in coastal areas.

We have invested almost two billion euros, according to SAS, “just compensation” due to tourist expenditure in shops and services of Andalusians.

People who move to Spain from June to September are very different backgrounds and circumstances.

The larger number is composed of Europeans.

In the Costa del Sol, 27% of the foreign population are from the United Kingdom, followed by Germany with 5%.

Andalusia generally bills each year between 25 and 27 million euros.

This means that countries of origin (UK, Germany or any other) repay the money spent on caring for its citizens. The latest data available is 2006 and treated20,000 people.

Visitors and residents

Rielo Antonio Perez, manager of Carlos Haya Hospital in Malaga distinguishes two groups of patients-tourists: the first is composed of these European tourists who come to Spain with their corresponding health insurance card and whose medical expenses are borne by their countries. “Many spend here all year,” explained the manager. The second is made up of retirees who came to live for the Andalusian beaches, especially the Costa del Sol.

These are known as “tourists residents” as they acquired a second home in the Andalusian coast. For them, Andalusia has received national payment of 65 million euros (this is because Spain has about 25% of the foreign population “resident” in relation to the total number.

A third group formed by foreigners outside Europe and without health insurance card to go to hospitals because they suffer from a mishap. Rielo ignores the importance to the problem of “extra expenditure”. Compared with tourists residents-who are often retired and high-level economic Europeans, the resulting investment is minimal (1.9 million) and “is balanced.” .” For the director, “what these tourists are allowed to use in Andalusia is far greater than what is spent: houses, golf, taxis …”

The doctor Rielo insists that the arrival of summer “is not a problem.” Even retirees to stay permanently “also are paid a monthly fee” from their home countries.

“The conflict is creating by those foreigners who already have a preconceived idea of staying in Spain and commit fraud with health cards,” says Rielo. This has happened in Valencia, where he is working on a law “against health tourism”. Andalusia was not aware of these attempts at fraud had occurred. The highest incidences occur in accidents while practicing a sport or on the beaches. However, doctors consulted insist that talk of “chaos in hospital holiday” or “blaming foreigners for problems in schools” is meaningless.

The SAS said that the 233 professionals hired to replace permanent medical staff must add that the increase in staffing conducted by the SAS in primary health care centres in coastal areas. In fact, over the past year, have joined 878 new categories of health professionals and non-health.