The National Spanish Health System

Nowadays in Spain this issue is a trending topic, and all people really discuss about it for two reasons: The first is because in the course of Parliament Election, Parties had argued (especially the left formations), defending the public health service, The other is the possible default of the public finances in Spain, and the necessary measures to find one balanced Public budget.

The main advantage of the public system is that it is financed for the Govern by taxation and it is managed by the Regional Government. As a result people can use free the primary health service (to visit the GP in the health centre to do a diagnosis and give a treatment) and the one specialized (appointments to Specialists in Cardiology, Dermatology, Surgeon, Nutritionist ... or to go Hospital to have one operation). On the other hand the system is universal for the resident population. One person will have to receive health care free if he is living in Spain in case he haven´t enough money.

However frequently people is disappointed with the public service, and they are used the private health service when the time to have an operation is extremely long or they need more privacy to get over when they are nursing so patient. The main disadvantage is the bad use of the service to part of the population, for example when persons seem addicted to take prescriptions for pills or visit the GP because they are certainly bored. As a result the quality of the system is go down and the cost increase, because nobody is able to reduce the waste in the public health care services. Politicians fear what it means the opposite party.

In conclusion, in the past ours public health service was very good, but today need improve. In fact, it is necessary arrange the user access to system maybe introducing the copayment or give out someone check fixed for taxpayer (Swedish model) to finance directly the service without make differences between they are provided for the public or private enterprises. We cannot afford this waste because the economic resources are scarce.