Moving to Spain

[pryderi]

Hi, My eGFR is hovering around 12, for past 3 years, and I've recently had a fistula created ready for potential future home dialysis. However, I am seriously considering a move to Spain/Majorca. I will need dialysis at some point. Can anyone give me an idea of the scale of costs I'm likely to face in obtaining and running home dialysis there?

thanks

[fredinspain]

Depends on your age as to whether you can get into the Spanish Health system as I did. I moved back to the UK last year but I was diagnosed with kidney failure 5 years ago and put on home peritoneal dialysis and everything was free. They didn't do home haemo dialysis as far as I know and it would be horrendously expensive to pay for it yourself. You can see the cost of all the things you will need on the Baxter web site and it's very high and the machine would be the price of a decent car at least.

The renal unit at the Carlos Haya Hospital in Malaga is excellent and most of the staff speak good English. Baxter deliver there exactly as they do in the UK but they get it right in Spain. You can contact me by email if you need any more info.

[Lincs in reply to fredinspain]

Hi Fred, my mother has to have dialysis, she currently lives in the UK, and will be coming to live with us in the Malaga area. It's uncertain when she will begin dialysis but she will be having a fistula fitted next month. If she begins dialysis in September and her treatment is 3 times a week, how soon can she continue her treatment upon arrival to Spain, obviously she would have to have dialysis as soon as she arrives so I eould need to have everything set up prior to her arrival (we are applying for funding via the NHS). It seems quite daunting all of the paperwork we will have to do to get this set up and also her residency, and Brexit isn't helping either. Since you have been through this process I would highly appreciate your feedback. Many thanks.

[pryderi]

Hi Thanks for the feedback, I'm 54 and reading what info I can find, it looks like they changed the rules last year about early retirees being treated for chronic conditions within the spanish system.

[Mgt8 in reply to pryderi]

Hello Pyderi

I've been thinking the same idea and have always planned on retiring somewhere warm. Now that I'm retired (I'm 54, egfr 13) having pkd has kind of put a halt to that.

Here are a couple of links I've found which you may find useful. If you have found any other info regarding this I'd be grateful for any links.

Best wishes.......

expatforum.com/spain/health...

 nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcar...

[pryderi in reply to Mgt8]

I found some useful info on UK gov website about living abroad and health care. There were changes in 2014 that affect some rights to cover, but the info about getting a Spanish social security number gets round that issue. Unfortunately I didn't bookmark the site, but thanks for your advice