Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela

[vanjohn]

Hi
We were due to depart tomorrow morning for Biaritz and on to SJPDP to commence the Camino. However fate intevened and now we hope to start in Mid August and complete by week 3 of September if possible.
The problem is we are now on warafin treatment and would now like to know if it is possible to have INR test carried out by clinics on the way just to be sure that we stay within the peramaters set out by our doctors. We are not on self test and would be after about 4 months treatment by mid August. The doc is happy enough about the plans provided we can be tested for INR.
Could anybody help and advise?

John Murphy

[JohnnieWalker]

Hi John

See these previous posts:

equipment-questions/topic1013.html

Whilst not answering your specific question the indication is it is possible to do this. Other posters may have more advice but I would have thought that given the regularity of medical centres, clinics and hospitals along the way that this should not present a lot of difficulty - perhaps your travel insurers could advise as they will know the network of clinics as I assume you will wish to organise this in advance.

[JohnnieWalker]

I also meant to say that if you are not fluent in Spanish it is a very good idea to take with you an accurate technical translation of what you need in a clinic - I recently walked with someone who had to access some quite complex medical supplies and all he did was produce the bit of paper - they read it - hey presto.

[katy06]

Hello
When I walked the Camino I found that the clincis in Spain are excellent, I had a very bad tswellinh on my gums-- as I had had a root canal treatment before I walked -- and suddenly just before Palace de la Rei iit was very painful - there was a 24 clinic and I was treated with the utmost courtesy free of charge for EU but I guess for all peregrinos..
Good luck and enjoy the pilgrimage., I might do it again soon..
It was so wonderful walking all that way and taking a day off now and again does help so one can explore cities such as Burgos with its magnificient cathedral..

[Rebekah Scott]

Officially, medical care in Spain is "free" only to people with EU citizenship or approval. Even if you are not European, you have a right to medical treatment at any of the public health facilities along the way... but how it´s paid-for varies from place to place. Often the people who do these things will take down info. on whatever insurance or plan you have from your home country, and that´s the last you hear of it. Sometimes, especially if the treatment includes X-rays or overnight stays or medicines, you´ll be sent a bill later on, or asked to pay upon leaving.

What´s remarkable is how little you´re asked to pay. Once in Madrid a man traveling with us suffered what appeared to be a heart attack. He was whisked away in an ambulance to the hospital, where they did the full emergency intervention, EKGs, etc. overnight. Thankfully it was just a bad case of indigestion. And the bill? 250 Euro. Amazing.

[William Marques]

For Europeans it is always wise to carry a EHIC card ( https://www.ehic.org.uk from the UK). I have had good treatment, at no cost, with and without one but it makes life easier for those treating you if you have one. This is in addition to whatever health insurance you have prudently purchased.

One other thing is that I have always found the pharmacias in Spain to be very efficient and offering a wider service than do those in the UK.

[fiddletree]

I badly injured my foot on the camino, and every clinic I went to had very good doctors, relatively short waits, and were completely free (and I am an American so I didn't expect that). Even in some of the smaller villages there are clinics, and always in the cities. You might want to stop in at a clinic in Pamplona (about a 3 day walk from St. Jean), and if you don't need anything yet, I'm sure you can ask them where the clinics are along the camino. The clinics are very accustomed to pilgrims so I am sure they will know this.

[MermaidLilli]

hmm, fiddle, I too injured my foot and I received a bill here at home, Florida. Not free for me... not sure what made it different.
Lillian

[fiddletree]

It is probably just a matter of luck. The hospitalero went with me to the hospital in Burgos and I think talked them into not charging me, because they honestly didn't know what to do with someone not in the EU, so I think it was easier for them just to not charge me. And the other clinics were in small towns and I don't even think they asked me if I was EU or not. Guess I was lucky!

It seems kind of hit or miss in different countries, or even within a given country. I'm quite accident prone (and spend a lot of time in Europe), and have had to go to clinics in a number of different countries and I only seemed to get charged about half the time.