DOCTOR, NO PANIC!
Emma & Liam’s medical survival guide for La Cala de Mijas
From cita to receta: what to do, what to take, what to say — and how to say it.
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What do I do?
Pick the route that describes you.
I live here + I’m already registered
Book your cita via Salud Andalucía, ClicSalud+, Salud Responde or reception.
I live here + I’m not registered yet
First confirm your public-health entitlement, then register at your local primary-care centre.
I’m visiting temporarily
Bring ID and a valid GHIC/EHIC if applicable. It is for medically necessary state healthcare during a temporary stay, not planned treatment.
I need help sooner
If a routine slot is too late and the problem should not wait, contact the centre and ask about atención no demorable.
Your local base
Centro de Salud La Cala
📍 Av. Sierra de las Nieves, 4 · 29649 La Cala de Mijas
☎️ Centre: 951 26 73 60
🕗 Official SAS hours: Monday–Friday, 08:00–20:00.
🏥 Reference hospital: Hospital Universitario Costa del Sol, Marbella.
How to book
cita previa made easy
- 📱 App Salud AndalucíaOfficial SAS app for common health procedures.
- 🌐 ClicSalud+Book/manage primary-care appointments online.
- ☎️ Salud Responde: 955 54 50 6024 hours a day, every day.
- 🧑💼 ReceptionTake your health card or identifying document.
Emma & Liam register
The paperwork depends on why you have public healthcare entitlement.
Before they walk into the health centre
A NIE/TIE alone is not the same as healthcare entitlement. UK nationals usually access Spanish state healthcare through a valid route such as Spanish social-security contributions, a registered S1, another recognised entitlement, permanent-residence rights, or another legally applicable route.
Confirm entitlement. If using an S1, register it with the INSS first.
2Identity. DNI/NIE/passport as applicable.
3Residence. The SAS lists a certificado de empadronamiento for resident registration.
4Proof of healthcare entitlement. Bring the relevant INSS/official document.
5Register locally. The centre can link you to primary care and your family doctor.
GHIC / EHIC is a different route
A valid GHIC/EHIC may be used for medically necessary state healthcare during a temporary stay under the applicable rules. It does not replace resident registration and it is not for travelling to Spain specifically for planned treatment.
First visit: reception
Read it · hear it · reuse it.
Buenos días. ¿En qué puedo ayudarles?
Good morning. How can I help you?Buenos días. Queremos darnos de alta en este centro de salud.
Good morning. We’d like to register at this health centre.Perfecto. ¿Tienen reconocido el derecho a la asistencia sanitaria?
Great. Is your entitlement to public healthcare recognised?Sí. Aquí tenemos los documentos del INSS, el NIE y el empadronamiento.
Yes. Here are our INSS documents, NIE and municipal registration.Muy bien. Vamos a comprobar los datos y asignarles centro y profesional.
Fine. We’ll check the details and assign your centre and professional.¿Podemos pedir cita con el médico de familia hoy?
Can we book an appointment with the family doctor today?GP vs specialist
Who does what?
Médico/a de familia
Your usual first medical contact for common illness, chronic problems, prescriptions, tests and referrals.
Especialista
Cardiology, dermatology, traumatology, etc. In the public system, specialist care is normally reached through referral when clinically appropriate.
Where might they send you?
Specialist/hospital care
Centro Alta Resolución de Mijas
Avda. de las Margaritas, corner with Paseo del Albero · 29649 Mijas.
Cita/appointment info: 951 97 67 83
🗺 MapHospital Universitario Costa del Sol
Carretera Nacional 340, km 187 · 29603 Marbella.
Switchboard: 951 97 66 69
🗺 MapEn la consulta del médico
LOOK → LISTEN → REPEAT → SPEAK
At the doctor’s: common illness
Emma has a sore throat, cough and fever.
Buenos días, Emma. ¿Qué le pasa?
Good morning, Emma. What’s the problem?Me duele mucho la garganta, tengo tos y desde anoche tengo fiebre.
My throat really hurts, I have a cough and I’ve had a fever since last night.¿Cuánto tiempo lleva así? ¿Tiene dificultad para respirar?
How long have you been like this? Do you have difficulty breathing?Desde hace dos días. Respiro bien, pero estoy muy cansada.
For two days. I can breathe normally, but I’m very tired.¿Tiene alergia a algún medicamento? ¿Toma alguna medicación habitualmente?
Are you allergic to any medicine? Do you take any medication regularly?No tengo alergias conocidas. Tomo esta medicación todos los días.
I have no known allergies. I take this medication every day.De acuerdo. Voy a explorarla. Abra la boca y respire profundamente, por favor.
All right. I’m going to examine you. Open your mouth and breathe deeply, please.Le explicaré el tratamiento y cuándo debe volver o pedir ayuda urgente.
I’ll explain the treatment and when you should return or seek urgent help.Build your sentence before you enter
Your personal symptom phrase generator.
Me duele la garganta. Desde esta mañana. No tengo alergias conocidas.
Medical survival vocabulary
Hover with a mouse or tap a card on your phone. Tap 🔊 for Spanish.
12 phrases worth memorising
Tap any phrase to hear it.
At the pharmacy
After the consultation
Nearby pharmacies
Tap for directions. Check today’s opening hours before travelling.
Emergency or not?
Learn the right door — and the useful Spanish.
Routine / can wait
Common cold, stable ongoing problem, medication review, test results.
→ Book your family doctor / nurse.Needs attention sooner
Important symptoms that should not wait for the next routine slot, but no immediate threat to life.
→ Ask about “atención no demorable”.Possible emergency
Severe breathing difficulty, possible heart attack/stroke, major injury, severe poisoning, loss of consciousness or another life-threatening event.
→ 061 or 112.Medical Spanish Rescue
8 tiny situations · instant feedback · saved progress.
Your fridge card
Print it. Keep it by the door.
MY 60-SECOND MEDICAL CHECKLIST
Centro de Salud La Cala: Av. Sierra de las Nieves, 4 · 29649 La Cala de Mijas
Three expat details worth knowing
Small information, big difference.
📞 A phone appointment is a real appointment
The SAS uses telephone consultations when a physical visit is not necessary. A clinician can access the electronic record and, where appropriate, prescribe or renew medication.
🗣 Ask about language help
Salud Responde lists a linguistic translation service. If Spanish is blocking safe communication, ask what language support is available for your situation.
📅 “No slots online” is not always “no care”
The SAS reserves parts of clinical agendas for other types of care. If the problem cannot reasonably wait, contact the centre and explain the situation.
Keep Neuro-Spanish for You! in your Costa del Sol survival kit.
Real language for the doctor, pharmacy, town hall, chiringuito — and the rest of real life in Andalucía.
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