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Date Published: 08/07/2022

ARCHIVED - Gibraltar residents lose free healthcare in Spain

ARCHIVED ARTICLE

The bridging healthcare measure introduced by Spain after Brexit has now been scrapped

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Gibraltar residents lose free healthcare in Spain

There has been widespread disappointment in Gibraltar as Spain has decided on June 30 to end the reciprocal health care agreement that has been in place since Brexit.

In reality, the agreement should have come to an end when the UK left the EU, but Spain went against the grain and remained the only nation of the 27 member states to implement temporary legislation which allowed people living in Gibraltar to receive free healthcare on the mainland.

The measure was originally put in place for 18 months and, now that the term has expired, the Spanish government has decided not to renew it.

The news has come as a bit of a shock for people living on the Rock, considering the fact that ongoing negotiations between Spain, the UK and the EU regarding the border management of Gibraltar are reportedly going well.

The decision, however, has far-reaching consequences. While the decree was in place, residents of Gibraltar insured under the Group Practice Medical Scheme could take advantage of Spain’s comprehensive free national healthcare and receive emergency treatment while visiting the mainland, entirely gratis.

Now, the local government on the Rock is advising all residents to take out travel insurance which includes medical care when planning a trip to Spain, even if it’s only for a few hours.

Fabian Picardo, the Chief Minister of Gibraltar, warned: “The Government of Gibraltar cannot be held responsible for claims arising from a lack of insurance against these risks.”

This system has been in place in all of the other EU member states since Brexit, December 31 2020.

Gibraltar has responded by announcing that its health services will no longer provide free healthcare for visitors from Spain.

It’s important to note, however, that the withdrawal of free healthcare does not affect European citizens who live in Spain but travel to Gibraltar for work.

In a statement last week, a Gibraltar government spokesperson said the Rock would have been happy to carry on with the temporary arrangement.

“However,” they went on to say, “because reciprocity is a key element to these arrangements which cannot work without coordination and provisions for reimbursement of costs etc., HMGoG is left with no option but to discontinue them also in so far as treatment in Gibraltar is concerned”.

Image: Pixabay

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