Healthcare
Healthcare in Barcelona is of an excellent standard, which is generally the case in Spain. Healthcare holds has a good reputation among both locals and expats in Barcelona. EU citizens can use their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) to access healthcare in Barcelona.
If you need medical assistance. The first point to call is the primary healthcare system (Centre d’Atenció Primaria, CAP). This is for common health problems and is a way to get free medical assistance. More serious health issues are dealt with in hospitals.
If you have a Social Security number in Barcelona. You can register with the Catalan healthcare service (CatSalut). Therefore, you need to be registered with the municipal resident’s register. After doing this, they will assign you to the CAP nearest to your home. When you are registered, you will be given a TSI, which stands for Tarjeta Sanitària individual. This is an individual healthcare card that will give you access to the public healthcare system’s centers and services.
If you are moving to Barcelona but don’t have a social security number yet. It is recommended to make use of the robust private healthcare system in Barcelona and to invest in private health insurance. In Barcelona, private hospitals are less crowded and more efficient than Barcelona’s public hospitals. This insurance will cover you while you are living in Spain.
If you have an emergency, I recommend that you call 061 (CatSalut Respon). This is a service that covers the entire Catalan region 24 hours. It is better to call before you visit, to make sure that there are not too many patients already. Of course you can always call 112 when having an emergency.