Here is some Fuerteventura health advice, as there is always the possibility that you or a member of your family might be ill whilst on holiday. If this happens it might not be easy to decide what to do and where to go. This information should make you aware of what to do. Preventative action will obviously reduce the need for anyone to seek medical advice, so be prepared to be careful whilst on holiday. Avoid getting sunburned, drinking too much alcohol and eating high risk foods that haven’t been kept chilled or very hot.
Fuerteventura health problems can usually be dealt with by going to the chemist ("Farmacia" in Spanish) and there you will get advice and help from the pharmacist/assistant who is used to dealing with tourists. Most speak very good English in the tourist resorts. Chemists are open during normal shop hours, which includes the evenings, and a couple are open during the nights for emergencies. If you are staying in a hotel, then always ask for directions at your reception, or if you are staying in a private villa/apartment then look out for a local tourist guide/map, which are available free of charge.
For more serious problems, then your first contact might be with the local health centre (known as "Centro de Salud", or commonly also as "ambulatorios"), where they usually speak English. For any urgent attention then it’s best to go to the Emergency ("Urgencias," in Spanish) part of the building.
All of the main tourist resorts have private doctor’s clinics, and these doctors offer multi-lingual services, and they have a 24 hour out of hours service.
Any visit, as a tourist, will cost money so be prepared for this. Make sure that you take your relevant paperwork – passport and European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). You should have this card before you travel. Full details can be found here: http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcareabroad/EHIC/Pages/about-the-ehic.aspx
Get a receipt so that you are able to claim the money back when you return home. You might also consider booking travel insurance from a reputed company that let's you do everything online, such as World Nomads. Not only will you have peace of mind if you are faced with any health issues, but you will also be covered for small unexpected things like lost luggage, mobile phones, etc.
Other Fuerteventura health professionals are the dentists ("dentista") on the island,who are all private, and they will treat people who are on holiday. There are also opticians in the the main towns of Puerto del Rosario, Corralejo, Gran Tarajal and Morro Jable.
There is one hospital on the island, on the south side of Puerto del Rosario. It has an Emergency Department and a range of medical departments. Any very serious health problems, however, do have to be referred to the hospital in Las Palmas, in the neighbouring island of Gran Canaria.
The Fuerteventura health services are available to all, but hopefully, they won’t be needed by anyone on holiday here. If you do need to use one of the medical services, it is important that you take your passport and any other documents with you. By being careful and sensible will reduce any chance of anything untoward happening. However, if there is an emergency then the number for the Emergency Services is 112. There will be an English speaker available on this number 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
We wish that you have a safe and enjoyable holiday!
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